Worst book you've read (or attempted to read)?

[Zone D Dad]

Given that I don't read much by anyone other than king, mine are all by him. The only books I started and didn't finish because I didn't like the book are The Regulators, and Misery. The Regulators was probably because I'd just finished desperation when I started it and probably just worn out on the characters (even though they're flipped). Misery, I shouldn't have started it to be fair, it's just something I knew I wouldn't like. I'm not the biggest fan of King's "innie's" and while Annie is horrible, Paul was a bit of a prick so I had nobody to like.

Finders keepers is easily the worst book I've ever finished.

I didn't care for Finders Keepers either. Granted, I didn't read Mr. Mercedes, so I don't know if that would've improved upon my experience with the book. For me it was sort of, bland. Certainly not one of the worst books I've ever read. I don't think anything SK has done would ever fall into that category for me. There are some that miss the mark (Deloris Claiborne is like that for me), but aren't outright terrible.

City Infernal, now that's a book that I found so awful, I had to give up about 50 pages in.

 

[Religiously_Unkind]

I didn't care for Finders Keepers either. Granted, I didn't read Mr. Mercedes, so I don't know if that would've improved upon my experience with the book. For me it was sort of, bland. Certainly not one of the worst books I've ever read. I don't think anything SK has done would ever fall into that category for me. There are some that miss the mark (Deloris Claiborne is like that for me), but aren't outright terrible.

City Infernal, now that's a book that I found so awful, I had to give up about 50 pages in.

City Infernal was soooooooo depressing, I couldn't finish it.

 

[The Nameless]

You're entitled to your opinion but may I ask why you consider Finders Keepers to be the worst book you've ever finished? I couldn't put that one down.

Half the book went by before we met bill and holly again, and aside from maybe Tina, they were the first characters I actually liked (I don't mean that as in good guys and bad guys - a well written bad guy is a good character). Nobody was believable to me, and jimmy gold and his runner books were just cliché drivel, I hated reading about them - the only thing more cringe worthy in the book is jerome. There were too many rehashed themes condensed into a few chapters:

Spoiler

crazed fan seeks to punish their favourite author for ending their idol badly (misery). Weak easy target gets raped in prison until his unique abilities are used to trade for his well being and having his attackers scared off (shawshank)

I just didn't enjoy the book, it felt like a chore to read at times, and when you're not liking a book, small negatives appear bigger than the are. It wasn't a terrible book, just not very good, at best a 5/10 rating. It was saved by Bill and Holly.

 

[Chelle71]

The Elegance of the Hedgehog
by Muriel Barbery

What drivel

 

[kingricefan]

The Elegance of the Hedgehog
by Muriel Barbery

What drivel

The title would have been my first clue.

 

[staropeace]

It may take me a while to roll back through the years and find that one book that was absolutely THE WORST, but in recent memory I'll say A Head Full of Ghosts mostly because it sucked so bad but also because SK is quoted as saying it, "scared the living hell out of me." He must be getting much easier to scare in his dotage.

I do not always like Stephen's choice of reading matter. I never listen to his blurbs lol.

 

[Chelle71]

The title would have been my first clue.

I know right...I should have run when I had the chance!

 

[Doc Creed]

The Elegance of the Hedgehog
by Muriel Barbery

What drivel

Yes. I could not make myself read past three chapters. How far did you get?

 

[Chelle71]

Yes. I could not make myself read past three chapters. How far did you get?

Speed read the whole thing...Stupid I know...I kept hoping it would get better.

 

[kingricefan]

Speed read the whole thing...Stupid I know...I kept hoping it would get better.

It did: it ended!

 

[Chelle71]

It did: it ended!

And that was a great moment in my life

 

[Doc Creed]

It did: it ended!

 

[kingricefan]

 

[ghost19]

Moby Dick....every I've ever tried to read it within 50 pages I've wanted to harpoon myself thru the eyeball.

 

[Dana Jean]

Moby Dick....every I've ever tried to read it within 50 pages I've wanted to harpoon myself thru the eyeball.

Yeah. I made it through Moby Dick, but it was a slog fest.

 

[80sFan]

50 Shades is by far the worst book I've ever attempted to read. Reading and sex are 2 of my favorite things (not always in that order) so I thought I'd really enjoy this one. Plus, everyone I knew loved it (I'm a 40-something wife/mom; basically the target demographic).
I never anticipated how horrible the writing could be. It was like not only was this the author's first book she'd written, but possibly the first book she'd ever even read.

 

[recitador]

50 Shades is by far the worst book I've ever attempted to read. Reading and sex are 2 of my favorite things (not always in that order) so I thought I'd really enjoy this one. Plus, everyone I knew loved it (I'm a 40-something wife/mom; basically the target demographic).
I never anticipated how horrible the writing could be. It was like not only was this the author's first book she'd written, but possibly the first book she'd ever even read.

it's supposedly dressed up twilight fan fiction, but it's always possible she only watched the movies lol

 

[80sFan]

it's supposedly dressed up twilight fan fiction, but it's always possible she only watched the movies lol

That explains a lot!!!

 

[Srbo]

By King: The Regulators. Terrible book, IMO, but I made it through.
Anyone else: James Patterson. Not for me, can`t stand the guys writing, super shallow.

 

[goathunter]

Gone Girl (I hated everything about it.)

Nice to see I'm not the only one. I started that book three different times, apparently because I'm a glutton for punishment. I started it, got about 100 pages in, and just hated it. Over the next couple of months, so many people kept praising it---including friends I usually agree with---that I gave it two more tries. I never made it past 100 pages, and I still have no idea why so many people think it was good.

Hunter