Worst book you ever read

I think having seen Apocalypse Now, which I didn't mind, may have affected my take on Heart of Darkness re the similarities. Or maybe it was just Conrad's writing. A lot of my pals over time regard Conrad's book very well, so it was just me who was sour on it.

I thought Apocalypse Now was a good movie, until Marlon Brando's character showed up. I fell asleep shortly thereafter.

Me too, but I remember a good surfing scene, amongst others earlier in the movie - oh, and that I liked the sound track... ahhh, The Doors, among other bits.

One thing I always recall about book-love or book-dislike is from back in high school. In my English class we had a set of identical twins. Until later in the year when the one of then broke his wrist and was wearing a cast most couldn't tell them apart.

Anywho, we had an assigned reading and then the test. One twin did quite well, the other...along with most of the class, failed. The book was Cry The Beloved Country by Alan Paton.

The experience reinforced in me the fact that reading interests vary from person to person the same as food does from one to another.


As to the twins and subsequent sets of twins I encountered, the key to telling them apart is in their basic mannerisms. There are always differences even if they've very subtle.

The Syndrome

Can't remember the author's name. True story of a man who claimed his ex wife alienated his daughter from him. By the time you finish the book you are absolutely convinced the ex was totally justified if she did and the author is a flaming asshole.

I felt bad for supporting him in any way until I remembered the e-book was a freeby. Phew!....

I've seen Apocalypse Now. *hangs head and blushes* I think the movie is overrated too.

One Pilton, (Glastonbury,) festival many years ago I bumped into a couple of musician friends who had spent the last month watching it over and over again.

The first thing one of them said to me was a list of all the continuity errors.

New Moon
Oh god! The second Twilight book, and it gets worse. Now Bella hooks up with an ugly whiny werewolf who's as bad as Edward. Don't read this crap, Bella is boring and the worst example of all humanity. Also, Edward is a girly disgrace to vampires and Jacob is just as bad. Screw Twilight, it's crap!

There have been a few books I did not finish because they were not very interesting.
One thing which distrubs me is when facts are not correct. One book is "Pope Joan" - there some historical mistakes, which I found - and I am not that good at history - I wonder how many there were.
I have forgotten title and author, but it was by an American who visited Sweden in December. On the ferry between Copenhagen and Malmö he enjoyed to see the young women in their summerdresses having fun on deck in the sunshine. The book should describe the truth about the Nobel Prize and its
intriges. Put it down as I could not believe the author knew anything about Sweden.

I can't stand books that try to pass themselves off as true, but in reality are fictional or semi-fictional.
Worst case I came across was James Michener's 'Centennial' in which he supposedly traces the story of American history, but time and again I came across passages that made me think "Nah that can't be right!".
Apparently many more readers felt the same and complained to the publishers, and in later editions Michener had to include a foreword admitting he'd made up some bits.

If I find the first few chapters uninteresting, I just quit reading it. That also means it wasn't worth remembering the name of the book. However, if I run across it again, my memory is reliable enough to not pick it up.
Besides, I'm finding photograph books more interesting. Pictures speak a thousand words.....
I purchased "A Pictorial History of the Japanese in Hawaii 1885-1924," because my father was born in Maui, Hawaii, and my nephew lives in Oahu.