Another Top Ten from the Broke and the Bookish.
1-4 - The Twilight books by Stephanie Meyer. My wife adores the books. I even went to one of the movies with her. I picked up the first book, opened it up, and didn't get more than a couple of pages in before I put the thing down FOREVER. I've heard enough about these books to know that I just don't care.
5. The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown. So many people have told me that it is poorly written that I don't want to find out.
6. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson. Here is where I admit my prejudices. I've tried reading the influx of Scandinavian crime authors ...Arnaldur Indridason, Jo Nesbo, Karin Fossum, Henning Mankell...and I just haven't really cared for ANY of them. Being of Swedish descent, you'd think I'd have some interest, but nope. I have seen the movie, and I kind of liked it. Unfortunately, though, it reinforced my belief that I just won't like this book. I don't care for serial killer stories.
7. Vanishing Point by David Markson. I read Wittgenstein's Mistress, and it was the most painful read for me in 30+ years of reading. No desire to ever read Markson again.
8-10 and beyond. I've left these for last, so I could give room for other books, and also so readers would read the rest of the post before sharpening their pitchforks. Any of the Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling. There is one exception here (and we have all of the books - wife again), and that would be if my son asked me to read them to/with him, in which case I would gladly read the entire series. Other than that, sorry I'm just not interested.
I read the Da Vinci Code and liked it. Could not finish Angels & Demons and will not pick up another Dan Brown book.
ReplyDeleteI read the first Harry Potter book (only to see what it was about before my son read it...given all the hype about witchcraft & whatnot, I just wanted to be informed). It was ok. Not tremendously good and I have no desire to read any more by her. But her books really turned my son on to reading so I give her kudos for that.
I liked the movie The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. I was sort of horrified by the book.
ReplyDeleteBev, I think the whole Potter phenomena is amazing. That kids can get that excited about books is a small miracle. I can't remember anything like it when I was a kid. So, yes, I give her huge props for that.
ReplyDeleteAnne, yeah I liked the movie. I'll probably even watch the second...though I don't know if I'll ever get around to watching the Hollywood version of Tattoo when it is released.
I feel the same way about the Stieg Larsson books. I'm Norwegian and I don't care much for Scandinavian crime lit either.
ReplyDeleteI like to say "Never say never!" I usually at least try one, but if we're talking about books I'll never return to - Twilight series would definitely be on my list. I'm not sure the storylines are that bad, but the writing is bad enough for me to say NO to. Also the Maguire books (Wicked, etc). Hmm, maybe I need to blog this.
ReplyDeleteI unabashedly adore the Larsson books and I don't even LIKE crime writing. Such a shame that he only wrote three books before he died.
I can think of plenty of books I haven't been able to finish but want to try again someday - Catch 22, Ulysses, Plato's Republic....
The only reason I am even considering reading "Twilight" is because my best female friend asked me to, her being a big fan and all. Personally, I can already tell it's not my cup of tea.
ReplyDeleteI tend to avoid the trendy books, like the Harry Potter series (much as I respect the author) and "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" (didn't even realize it's a Scandinavian crime novel). If they're any good, time will likely tell. IME, most 'faddish' books aren't worth a hill of beans. "The DaVinci Code" turned me off after watching the movie.
Books I never will even attempt are those (ghost-)written by Obama or George W. Bush.