Worst book you ever read

boomer, speaking of writers discovered via NPR, I will add Frank DeFord.

I see most of the books he's written is on the subject of sports of course, but he's written others.

I read "Another Adonis" by him. Can't remember the story, except that it itself wasn't horrible. What I took umbrage at was his description of a woman. In it, he describes her as what I consider on the tallish side for a female, 5'7" or 5'8" and on the "plump" side, according to him weighing in probably at 130 lbs.

5'7" and 130 lbs is plump? F*ck you Frank DeFord.

Oh heavens! Could you say why?

Hawaii. One I deeply relished reading.

Dirty secret: I really thought Armistead Maupin phoned in most of his writing, and I was unable to like Dickens.

Yeah, I feel the same way about Maupin Lash. Ditto Dickens.

As long as we're mentioning authors/books that seem sacrosanct, here's a book that has made my eyes glaze over since I was but a wee chai.

The bible.

Both old and new testaments.

I can't stand DeFord. He's pompous as hell and thinks his sports writing is poetic and "important"

Content, styles all, or both?

All.

As far as content, I can't be bothered. I don't wonder about existence/non existence because honestly, what difference does it make?

It's tediously repetitious, poor writing (yeah and don't get started on Song of Solomon. It's nothing I'd go out of my way for) fantastical, illogical, and just plan dumb.

heh, I actually could compare it to the other book I hated and mention before, Pay It Forward.

Really? An entire book? On this? They even made a movie about it?

Since I'm an equal opportunity blasphemer, I'll add the Book of Mormon. Have you ever looked at that mess? Hoo boy. Now there's bunch of nonsense.

Funny you mention Song of Solomon. It's the only book of the Bible I considered aesthetically appealing.

It caught my attention, at any rate, but I was a 13 year old when I read it, and compelled by sexy stuff.

Ha. I mentioned SOS only because that's the one people always bring up when they want to say something about good writing in the bible. Figured I'd just get that out of the way.

Really, for the life of me I don't know why so many people think this book is so great. Maybe because there's a good portion of people who don't read anything else, and they don't have much to compare it too? Combined with the notion that you're just not supposed to say something bad about it.

Twelve years of Catholic school. My eyes never failed to glaze over during religion class. Yet I never questioned it. I'm sure I wasn't alone but it just wasn't worth mentioning. I was an avid reader that entire time. Always had 2 or 3 books going simultaneously. Read and enjoyed enjoyed Jane Eyre in I think 4th grade. So, I like to think I had some sort of insight as to good writing

I remember people in high school complaining about how boring Moby Dick was, but I really loved it.

They had this eight year old kid on Larsen Dollar's TV Bible Hour who could recite all the begats

Damn you! You just reminded me of a terrible terrible book I read for a history class in college.

A think I remember it was for my history of religion class. The book which Christian Science is based on. The one written by the founder, Mary Baker Eddy,

Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures.

I distinctly remember that it read like it was written by someone with a third or fourth grade education and nothing higher.

Has anybody tackled The Seven Pillars of Wisdom, by T E Lawrence? I am not calling it a bad book. I simply could not get past the first dozen or so pages.

My experience was similar, though I don't think I got as far as a dozen pages.

I'm not really entitled to pass judgement, given that I never got more than a dozen or so pages into it, but I never really saw the appeal of Conrad's Heart of Darkness. Long opening about ships and different types of sailor's knots. Too into seamanship.

I really enjoyed it. I did a unit on Conrad at Uni. I've read it more than once, including skim reading it for a timed essay.

I've always suspected I need to give it another go.

People's tastes are different, there's many fine pieces of literature I can't get into.

If you watch Apocalypse Now that might help.

I tried, and think I gave up about halfway through. Or 3/4.

Re the Bible, I read assigned bits of the New Testament in Religion class in my catholic high school, still religious then myself. Sometime earlier, maybe when I was twelve, I remember trying to read the Old Testament. Didn't get past Genesis, never tried again.