The Next Best Book Club discussion

Liz wrote: "Kathryn, I can't tell you how much I appreciate that, as TKAM gets so much hype, whereas I thought it was slightly overrated."

Exactly! I feel like everytime I tell someone that I don't like TKAM, they want to jump on me and kill me! lol, I didn't like the kids as characters. It is not that I don't appreciate its historical value and what it was trying to show based on the time period it was set it, but I didn't like the two kids (I don't remember there names... Scout and something, I think...)

I know a bunch of people that agree with you guys about TKAM. I personally loved it but most people I know and have talked to about it thought it was so-so.

TKAM - To Kill a Mockingbird? Why are we abbreviating?

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "TKAM - To Kill a Mockingbird? Why are we abbreviating?"

Talking back and forth and back and forth about the same book title, it's easier to use the initials.

Yes, To Kill A Mockingbird- it's stated once or twice above.

I love "To Kill a Mockingbird", it's one of my favorites. But I understand what you mean about not liking kids as characters; that's a really fine line, cross it and the kid is annoying. ;)

I have to say the Twilight series. Well, I can't really count the last two in that seeing as how I never read those, but I thought the first two were terrible. I thought "Twilight" really had potential when I started reading it, but as I kept reading, I realized how little plot in the book there actually was.

And I still picked up "New Moon" (just to give the series a fair chance). If possible, I hated New Moon more than Twilight. I just find Bella shallow, selfish, and whiny. And if I want to read a book about a female heroine, I want her to be strong and empowering. Basically, anti-Bella. Granted I read chick-lit and some of the heroines are whiny, but those books don't have a lot of impressionable young teenage girls thinking that the core romantic relationship is perfect as opposed to what it really is (imo)... incredibly unhealthy.

So, yeah, did not like Twilight/New Moon.

Alisha wrote: "I have to say the Twilight series. Well, I can't really count the last two in that seeing as how I never read those, but I thought the first two were terrible. I thought "Twilight" really had pot..."

I actually did finish the series, but the only book I really liked was Twilight. I did not like New Moon at all, and almost did not finish it. I thought everything that happened to Bella involving Jacob was largely her own fault.

As for Twilight, I loved the first book, hated the second, stopped reading the third halfway through, and read the first half of the last book... about 400 pages, but I didn't like the plot twist. I hate the character Jacob, and I hated Bella's facination with him... I will probably re-read the first book, and then just pretend it ends there...

I agree with SuzieR who said "but what a boring place the world would be if we all liked the same things!"

...but oh, Kathryn and Liz, how could you not like Mockingbird!?! And Saranicole and Manday... Jane Eyre...!
*knife to the heart*

Just kidding, really; I do exagerate. Funny how a book will so speak to one person and say nothing to another. And I do agree with SuzieR!!

Hayes wrote: "I agree with SuzieR who said "but what a boring place the world would be if we all liked the same things!"

...but oh, Kathryn and Liz, how could you not like Mockingbird!?! And Saranicole and Ma..."

Yeah, it is weird how that is... but I suppose that is a good thing, because if the same book spoke to everyone, what would be the point in writing anything new...

Kathryn wrote: "As for Twilight, I loved the first book, hated the second, stopped reading the third halfway through, and read the first half of the last book... about 400 pages, but I didn't like the plot twist. I hate the character Jacob, and I hated Bella's facination with him... I will probably re-read the first book, and then just pretend it ends there..."

Poor Jacob... Why does everyone hate him? New Moon is better the second time through.

Have to be Death in Venice, closely followed by Lolita and Pet Sematary. Depressives that left me with icky after-thoughts. Maybe that was the authors' intent, though.

oh yeah, Death in Venice was pretty bad. I did not dislike Lolita though.

I'm listening to Lolita now, read by Jeremy Irons. It is kind of ick-making, but fasinating, and of course the voice is so great.

We Need To Talk About Kevin.

It took me 3 weeks to get through it. I think it was just to disturbing for me.

Two books come to mind.
I got about three chapters into Interview With the Vampire before I gave up. I hate the way Anne Rice writes. It's so passive and awkward. There were scenes that should have been action packed and exciting, but instead seemed to be over before they began.

The second book is The Prince of Poison A Novel. I actually did finish this, but it was painful. Poor writing, poor character development. Ugh.

Natalie wrote: "I got about three chapters into Interview With the Vampire before I gave up. I hate the way Anne Rice writes. It's so passive and awkward. There were scenes that should have been action packed and exciting, but instead seemed to be over before they began."

I watched about an hour of the movie (on TV) before I decided it, too, was awkward. It didn't flow... at all.

I actually finished The Poe Shadow but agree it was not well done. Too many twists and turns just for the sake of being twisty and turny.

I never finished Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. Major snooze fest.

Natalie wrote: "Two books come to mind.
I got about three chapters into "Interview With the Vampire" ...

I'd forgotten about this one... I had the same feeling and put it down after the same 3 chapters and haven't touched another book with vampires in it since!

Saranicole said: I watched about an hour of the movie (on TV) before I decided it, too, was awkward. It didn't flow... at all.

...and then there's that awful film with TC, I was about to say, but saranicole beat me to it!!

Hayes wrote: "Saranicole said: I watched about an hour of the movie (on TV) before I decided it, too, was awkward. It didn't flow... at all.

...and then there's that awful film with TC, I was about to say, but saranicole beat me to it!!"

Sorry I stole your comment, but the movie was so bad, I had to say it... ;)

Heather wrote: "There are a couple disappointing books that come to mind....

The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks. ..."

I read Icy Sparks too, and I didn't really like it either. I forgot about that one. Wiped it from my mind I suppose. :)

TKAM in a "worst books discussion"? How dare you? ;).

Really, there are a lot here in the south that consider it to be 2nd to the New Testament. And there are a few who think it's the scourge.

A couple of years ago I went to a play that starred the original actors who act out the events in Monroe County, AL, for 2-3 weeks in the Spring. It was wonderful, but totally different from the book and the movie. The play really focuses on the courtroom scenes. However, the trial has the most compelling scenes. There are a couple of weeks, if you're fortunate enough to be in Monroeville, where the courthouse scenes are acted out at the actual courthouse.

Generally, we Alabamians consider TKAM and Harper Lee as jewels of our heritage.

Alisha wrote: "I have to say the Twilight series. Well, I can't really count the last two in that seeing as how I never read those, but I thought the first two were terrible. I thought "Twilight" really had pot..."

I totally agree with you that New Moon had no plot at all. That's why I never read the last book even though I did wonder if she would really go through with becoming a vampire or not. I just didn't care enough about the character to wade through another 450 pages of soggy romantic muck. If anyone finished the series, maybe they could enlighten me.

to hayes and Saranicole:

That's so sad that the movie sucks too! I haven't seen it but was hoping it was good, as I love a good vampire story. I saw Queen of the Damned and liked it....ah well, I guess you can't win them all ;)

Zoya by Danielle Steele. The concept sounded great: imperial Russia, post-imperial Russia, romance. But no, this book was one flaming P.O.S. It's definately the last/only Danielle Steel for me. Seriously, I don't understand why so many people like her writing, the "sex" scenes which might have been redeeming were horrid!

April wrote: "Zoya by Danielle Steele. The concept sounded great: imperial Russia, post-imperial Russia, romance. But no, this book was one flaming P.O.S. It's definately the last/only Danielle Steel for me. Ser..."

I was planning on reading that one too. ^_^

Natalie wrote: "to hayes and Saranicole:

That's so sad that the movie sucks too! I haven't seen it but was hoping it was good, as I love a good vampire story. I saw Queen of the Damned and liked it....ah well, I ..."

Maybe the movie is good, but I'm the wrong person to ask... can't bear Tom Cruise ; )

It seems that people have been looking at a list of some of my favorite books. LoL But I have a hated book to me and please put the knives down before reading further but.......The Poisonwood Bible. I am three-quarters of the way through I loved the characters and she could really make me see the setting but I found it slow and lost interest and for the last 75 or so pages I pushed my way through. I'll do it one day and maybe my opinion will change. I loved Great Expectations Miss Havisham is one of my all time favorite characters. But I like the crazies, birds of a feather and all that. =P Bastard out of Carolina, She's Come Undone, and Memoirs of a Geisha are beloved friends of mine.

With Twilight I kept waiting for it to get better. My friend who is in love with it let me borrow the series last month. I found that I read them mainly because I kept waiting for something good to happen. IMO the last was the best and that is because SOMETHING finally happened. Although it wasn't great I did finish them but I think it's mainly because my guilty pleasure are paranormal reads. I hope ya'll can keep my secret. =D

Christi wrote: "With Twilight I kept waiting for it to get better. My friend who is in love with it let me borrow the series last month. I found that I read them mainly because I kept waiting for something good to..."

Christi, I feel the same way! I keep waiting for something to happen. I'm almost done with Breaking Dawn. My big thing about this series is that I HATE all of the characters. I think Bella is an absolute idiot and I don't see what everyone finds so great about her. Edward is possessive and I find him not at all attractive. Jacob was okay for a while, then he just got cocky and weird. I'll be happy when I'm done with these. I've been stubborn and insisting that I finish the series.

I agree with A Million Little Pieces, but for me The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown was worse. Totally unbelievable, cartoon characters, horrible horrible.

Angels and Demons was even more unbelievable still...

ack! I forgot about The Da Vinci Code!!!

Perhaps I forgot due to me blocking it from my memory because it was so horrid!

I got through The Da Vinci Code in two days I think. That was one that I actually really enjoyed! But I heard Angels & Demons was not as good.

No contest: The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann. It was looooong, set in a sanitorium in the mountains, the action consisted of endless conversations about European politics and history that I knew nothing about (and wasn't interested to find out about), and featured a minor romantic angle where the potential couple have one interaction and the entire conversation is in French. I finished it out of sheer stubborness. Then the capper: in a closing section the author compared the book to a piece of music and suggested that, like music, it would be appreciated best through repeated readings. I don't think so.

Okay, all time worst (for me) was The Last of the Mohicans by Cooper and a more modern worst was The Summons by Grisham, closely followed by The Broker. I really used to like Grisham at first, but his recent books are plotless and wandering, much like The Last of the Mohicans.

Irene wrote: "No contest: The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann ... Then the capper: in a closing section the author compared the book to a piece of music and suggested that, like music, it would be appreciated best through repeated readings. I don't think so."

I could never cope with Mann... Death in Venice is supposed to be such a masterpiece, but it doesn't do anything at all for me. Put it down after 20 pages.

Manday wrote: "I could not stand Jane Eyre or Tess of D'Urbervilles
I don't like that period of British writing in general. All the ridiculous coincidences drive me nuts.

But obviously worst book ever is person..."

I loved Lord of the Flies!

AAARRRGGGHHH!


; )

Did anyone enjoy The Alchemist? I couldn't really get through that one either.

No it didn't do anything for me. I don't think I finished it.

All of my "abandoned" books have come up in this thread!!

I read the Alchemist a LONG time ago, so I don't remember a lot about it. It was okay, I think...

John wrote: I loved Lord of the Flies

Me too, John. Actually, I just watched the Simpsons version of Lord of the Flies today, it's great noting the parallels!

I'm going to have to say American Pscycho. Man, I hated that book. I also hated Eat, Pray, Love. I thought the author was very whiny and full of herself.

This is fascinating. Some of my favorite books--and ones I just liked--have shown up here. Which probably means everyone will think I'm crazy. My most-hated books I finished:
The Hobbit (I kept waiting for it to get good)
Dune (read in school, otherwise I would have stopped)
Swann's Way
Of Human Bondage
The Moviegoer
Are You There Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea (do people actually find this woman funny? it was an easy read, as opposed to the others. a little embarrassing to admit I read it, though!)
any and all Austen, Brontes, and the ilk. They are all exactly the same! I am not even sure which I have read anymore....

Oh I forgot my most hated book ever. I was forced to read The Iliad in 9th grade. I liked the story overall but I have never had to work as hard to read a book ever. It was work to me anyway.

Oh Christi, I'm going to agree with that one. Maybe it would have been easier to read when we were older?

I agree with you about The Iliad as well, Christi. I did like The Odyssey, however.

Gary Shteyngart's "Absurdistan". I picked up this book after seeing decent markes given by other GR-ers who enjoyed Some of my favorite Tom Robbins novels. I like eccentrical but this is too outlandish for my tastes. It took about a month to get half way through and I've put off finishing it for about 3 months. I try to finish every book.... This book is about to be abandoned... Can anyone tell me if the end is remdiming at all? Or if Shteyngart's other book is better.