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Respected Contributor
Posts: 2,916
Registered: ‎03-14-2010
@haddon9 I too hated Moby ****** until I read a non fiction called In the Heart of the Sea. The story of a whaling ship out of Nantucket upon which Melville (who was working in New Bedford, Ma at the time of the whaling ship Essex incident) based his book. Although Melville fictionalized the characters, the story of an angry whale attacking and sinking a whaling ship is absolutely TRUE!
Respected Contributor
Posts: 2,916
Registered: ‎03-14-2010
The worst book I've ever read was The Road by Cormac McCarthy. Not because of the writing, which was different and disturbing, but because of the subject matter, which kept me up at night for weeks.
Respected Contributor
Posts: 2,048
Registered: ‎06-29-2015

@bathina , I hated it too. I threw it in the trash after reading. Didn't want to feel personally responsible for anyone who'd read it after me!

Muddling through...
Honored Contributor
Posts: 9,665
Registered: ‎03-21-2010

@bathina wrote:
@haddon9I too hated Moby ****** until I read a non fiction called In the Heart of the Sea. The story of a whaling ship out of Nantucket upon which Melville (who was working in New Bedford, Ma at the time of the whaling ship Essex incident) based his book. Although Melville fictionalized the characters, the story of an angry whale attacking and sinking a whaling ship is absolutely TRUE!

Melville heard the story from some of the survivors and set about writing the story.  Yes that was some very angry Sperm Whale!  They also made a film version about the Esssex, but I have no idea if was a success or not.  It did not stay in the theaters very long.   I saw about half of it on TV, and of course I was cheering for the whale.   Anyway, try and read the book.  Quite amazing. 

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Registered: ‎07-05-2016

I had to read Gone Girl for a book club.  I hated it!  Usually, I can find something to like about a book, but not for this one! 

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Registered: ‎02-05-2018

Death Hits the Fan, by Jacqueline Girdner. It was just awful. I got it for free and it was so bad that I didn't finish it. Instead, I skipped to the end to see whodunnit, then I walked it directly to a dumpster and tossed it in so that no one would ever again be subjected to that copy's awfulness.

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Posts: 75
Registered: ‎06-18-2010

Oh, I so agree regarding "Beneath a Scarlet Sky".  So unbelievable (like Forest Gump the main character was everywhere anything important happened) and badly written.  I, too, can't believe the good reviews (and I'm a person who usually decides what to read according to reviews).  But this was for a book club, so I struggled through it.

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Posts: 10,168
Registered: ‎03-14-2010

Re: Worst Book Ever Read

[ Edited ]

Some books are written a few days after the author has been paid for screen rights...then the author writes a book that would make a good movie ...I think it turns what could be a great book into a mediocre one at best...the author already has his huge advance so the incentive to write something great is low. However, sometimes the movies are blockbusters so the book gets free press and people buy it....and don’t recognize it. I have a relative who is a writer and his career is selling screen rights to soon-to-be written books that are still in his head, not on paper....really.

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Posts: 152
Registered: ‎06-09-2013

Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad....the only time I used Cliff Notes in h.s.

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Registered: ‎08-22-2011

A Million Little Pieces - James Frey