Ever regret reading a book?

[Cogidubnus]

Yeah, it wasn't everything I'd hoped for.

"Eragon" and "Eldest" were hilariously god-awful, but  I don't regret reading them, for I got many laughs out of them. I think I'd have to say "Amara" by Richard Laymon, because I loved that guy's writing. "Amara" was published after he died and it was a real kick in the teeth for fans, a shoddy mess of three unfinished stories all lumped together.

I kinda regret reading Wheel of Time, because I spent weeks and weeks reading over eight thousand pages of text, only to have the author die before the last conclusive book.

I'm hoping that the 'army of authors' who are working with his notes don't end up pulling something like what you described.

[Corgatha Taldorthar]

Well, it's hardly RJ's fault that he got Amyloidosis. And here's hoping that Sanderson doesn't mess things up. Besides, it's in his best interest. RJ fans are rabid, and if he deviates too much, there might be a savage beating or something:P (WoT sites send their best)

[Tapewolf]

Well, it's hardly RJ's fault that he got Amyloidosis.

This line confused me for a moment, because we also have a member known as RJ.

[bill]

...who hasn't posted for a while 

[Zina]

RIP, RJ.

[bill]

Never Forget

[Sunblink]

"Eragon" and "Eldest" were hilariously god-awful, but  I don't regret reading them, for I got many laughs out of them.

Oh damn, I forgot all about Eragon. Haven't read it myself, but I haven't really heard any encouraging things about that book.

Plus the author seems like a bit of a jerk.

[bill]

I don't read fantasy at all, so I wouldn't know, but didn't that get published because the author's parents owned the publishing company?

[superluser]

I don't read fantasy at all, so I wouldn't know, but didn't that get published because the author's parents owned the publishing company?

Wikipedia says Eragon was self-published, then Knopf bought the rights when it started selling.

[Sunblink]

I don't read fantasy at all, so I wouldn't know, but didn't that get published because the author's parents owned the publishing company?

According to an interview, Christopher Paolini and his parents self-published the book because he wanted to maintain financial and creative control over it.

[Roureem Egas]

Books I've regretted reading, huh? There are two books I remembered reading and absolutely hated, but one doesn't fit since it was required. The other one I picked up on my own time was by Yukio Mishima, so I'm agreeing with Zina. It was pretty forgetable for the most part, until it got to what looks like a vore fantasy. Then I was repeating the word "freak" for the rest of the day. I forget the entire title, but it had Mask in it should anyone be morbidly curious about it.

[Noone]

I think I've read almost a library's worth of horrid literature, but when I think about it, there are 2 that come to mind.
The first is 'The Pinballs' by Betsy Byars. It follows the original trail of thought that plotlessness and 2 dimensional, horribly stereotyped main characters actually make a good book. I read the book a long time ago, I think in seventh grade, so most of the details are hazy, which I should probably be thankful for. The fact that I was actually required to read this caused plenty of irritation as I think I had more fun banging my face into a brick than I did reading that.
The second one which I can think of is (Bhuuuuargh)... sorry about that, 'The Sun Also Rises' by Ernest J Hemmingway. The book is hugely repetitive and has no cohesive plot to it whatsoever. In fact, it can be more closely described as the boring everyday life of the main character. About the only thing that I remember giving any hope of giving this novel any redemption is when the main character and his friends decide to go watch some bullfighting, which might have developed into an "oh, this is horrible, blablabla" type thing, but that turned out to be as monotonous and repetitive as the rest of the book. It shouldn't take a book 300 pages to  start to have something remotely interesting happen.
I think the best part of it was my revenge, when I wrote my book report on the thing, I actually still have it, here is my introductory paragraph:

Ernest J Hemmingway is a writer of classic novels that somehow enter status as masterpieces of literature. His "lost generation" story called "The Sun Also Rises", features many classical themes, such as lack of a plot, complete lack of continuity, and a decent buildup of character development followed by a series of random events that seem to be more of a diary of a person's everyday life rather than an acceptable classic novel.

Oh... those days my writing... ah... here is my conclusion paragraph:

This book really does not have any redeemable qualities. It is repetitive, boring, has no plot, has very little action, and an overemphasis on character development. The story is only an on and on setup of random event after random event, and a progression like that would make for a biography, not a classic novel. This book is downright horrible, and if I had some support, I would also name it a leading cause of brain cancer. The book is that bad, turning every page will make the reader want to throw the book in a cesspit, and spend a long time admiring the rocks in their shoes. It is that bad. Read this book at your own peril.

I'm not sure if that deals it justice.

[thegayhare]

any of the anita blake novels I've read...  I deeply regret that...

I mewan the first one I read seemed decent... *I don't know which one I just sort of came in in the midle*  so I bought the next 2 and it seems right after that first one they turned into bad vampire porn

[bill]

Honestly, I'd like to be proven wrong, but if you buy vampire novels, you ought to know what you're getting into. 

[thegayhare]

I didn't realise they would be so intensly vampire novels  I mean the dust jacket seemed interesting about demons and zombies...  I picked it up in an airport so meh

[Jairus]

Honestly, I'd like to be proven wrong, but if you buy vampire novels, you ought to know what you're getting into. 

Gothic horror masterpieces about horrific blood-sucking undead fiends who are incapable of love or even genuine emotions? Or alternatively soul-sucking monsters who stalk and pursue innocent victims only to kill them?

[bill]

If you have recommendations, go right ahead.

[PellaFera]

Ok, I subject myself to potential mass beatings by informing you all that I LOVE Laurell Hamilton's Anita Blake novels, although I started off in the vampire genre with Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles, so I think I can be allowed that particular vice.  In my defense, however, I have true dislike for Micah, which is one of the volumes in the Anita Blake series, and named after one of the eventual main characters, because elements that usually get spread out and interwoven with other plots were watered down to comprise the entire novel.  I was massively disappointed, but since I am (almost) current on the series, I will confess that the zombie and police elements eventually die off, although the series is fantastic if you enjoy following complex lines of thought and keeping track of multiple intermingling relationships, which I do.

Other books I regretted reading: Invisible Man, by Ralph Elison.  Maybe it was just me, but that book, in AP Lit, was just so irritatingly mind-numbing, especially since the author constantly cited the reasons everything that had gone wrong with his life could be blamed on white people.  I wanted to shoot the main character(Who NEVER gets a name), Elison for writing it, and my teacher for actually LIKING it.

Last on my list: Crime and Punishment, by Fyodor Dostoevsky.  Driest read EVER.  Also, it was nearly impossible to follow the storyline, because EVERYONE had two names, which I only learned halfway through the book to be their birth names and then names that described who's children they were.  Then, the main character goes nuts and at the end?  Finds salvation in some random woman who should have no reason to be at all associated with him.  Beating yourself in the face with a brick is more fun than reading this book!

[Azlan]

I have a fairly intense dislike for most of the classical authors of American (U.S.) literature, but it is mostly based on subject matter more then anything else.  I am just not interested in the periods, themes or premises.  My bias has always been towards science fiction.


In recent times, I sorely regret delving into the Wheel of Time series.  It should be cast in gold as a testament to poor writing, characterization, plot... everything.

Eragon is also rather bad... good example of a Mary (Marty) Sue though.

I hate everything Yukio Mishima wrote with such a burning passion.

Also, I hate Yukio Mishima.

God.

I hate Yukio Mishima.

I am inclined to agree.  I particularly dislike Confessions of a Mask.

[superluser]

Honestly, I'd like to be proven wrong, but if you buy vampire novels, you ought to know what you're getting into. 

What about I Am Legend?  Would you know what you were getting into if you bought that book based on the fact that it's a vampire novel?

[bill]

Honestly, I'd like to be proven wrong, but if you buy vampire novels, you ought to know what you're getting into. 

What about I Am Legend?  Would you know what you were getting into if you bought that book based on the fact that it's a vampire novel?

That's more sci-fi, isn't it?

[superluser]

That's more sci-fi, isn't it?[/quote]

It is, technically, a vampire novel.  The diseased humans are averse to sunlight, crucifixes and garlic, and those that the vampires infect become vampires themselves.

[Janus Whitefurr]

a) My brother bought me the first two Anita Blake novels... last year, for my birthday, due to a lack of not really knowing my reading habits and the blurbs being interesting. I read them. And traded them back in the next day. Ugh. Horrid things. (The store now has a section FULL of 'fantasy romance' - all vampire stuff. UGH.)

b) Praise, Andrew McGahan. University reading text, Australian novel. It is arguably well written, but it is written in a very in your face and terribly crude fashion, and is pretty offensive. Half the class that semester admitted to not reading it because it was just so horribly blech.

---

I am also, unrelatedly, the only person out of everyone in my extended family (cousins, aunts etc.) to like Stephen King, and the whole Dark Tower series. Cop-out ending yes, but it was fun on the way.

[bill]

Nah, that gave me a big Sci-Fi vibe, especially because of the post-apoc setting, though I should have been more specific.

I'm talking about those paperback romance vampire novels that you find in the "Fantasy Romance" (and occasionally YA) sections of bookstores. I can't take any of that seriously at all.

[Angel]

Hm. I can't really say whether I've ever regretted reading a book, regardless of whether I liked it or not. But there are a few books I wish I'[d been given at a different time, when I would've possibly understood them more and maybe even enjoyed them. I guess you could say I regret reading those. On a side note, I did a report on how forcing kids to read certain books before they are mature enough as readers to handle them may be affecting the attitude of this generation towards reading at all. But on to the books.

The Old Man and the Sea is the first on the list. I can respect its status as a classic, but really. Did they honestly expect an eighth-grader to fully understand and appreciate that kind of depth and symbolism? Maybe if they'd had us read that in sophomore year instead of Fences by August Wilson. Or used that instead of Death of a Salesman. As it was, it ranked as the most boring, tedious book that year. And I tried to like it. I really did. But it wasn't until we read Hemingway's short stories and The Sun Also Rises that I was willing to forgive him. (I will admit, for The1Kobra's sake, that they could've done much more with the plot on TSAR, gotten deeper into Brett and Jake's relationship, etc.)

Les Miserables. I read the very, very short version of this when I was a kid, and enjoyed it. I saw the musical on Broadway, and came damn close to crying. But if you plan on reading the Victor Hugo novel and are thinking it starts out with Valjean and Javert and prison and excitement, be warned: it is akin to reading Dracula without knowing that the excitement comes later. It starts out with the bishop who gives Valjean the silver, tells his entire history, and bores thrill-readers to tears. If you can slow yourself down while reading it, and appreciate it, good for you. If not, learn how. It's a vital skill when reading classics that I finally mastered while reading The Scarlet Letter, and was vital to my enjoyment of Frankenstein the year after that.

I haven't "read" Twilight yet, but I've had the first two chapters read aloud to me over the phone by a friend who likes to do that. So far, I like it. It's got a nice contemporary writing style, and vampire stories (the good ones) are always fun for me. (Though I do regret trying to read Dracula in the seventh grade...should've waited. I intend to try again now that I'm more mature as a reader.)

[Stygian]

Firstly, I must say that even though I somewhat dread the up and coming, most likely hamhandedly abrupt conclusion to the Wheel of Time series, and I sometimes find the characters so absolutely stubborn, selfish and narrow-sighted, and the situations they are placed in so despicable, not to mention that the whole story is permeated with misogynistic and bitter undertones that I often found myself wanting to bite the books whilst reading, I actually enjoyed it for the most part while it lasted. Mainly for two reasons; clear talent, dedication and thought on part of Mr. Jordan, and the fact that I've encountered so many people like those in his books in real life that I realize that it is rather the experience of having to put myself in their perspective while reading than any incredibility in the characters that aggravates me.

I consider The Butlerian Jihad and many follower novels in the Dune series bland and tasteless and not worthy of Frank Herbert's original epos.

I completely steer clear of anything authored by Robin Hobb after having suffered the dirt-dragging Soldier Son novels, especially Forest Mage. While the characterization and credibility is excellent, there is just something fatalistic and desolate and apathetic about it, both the characters and the obviously declining and stagnated world that the books are set in, and that makes me loathe both.

I could probably go on with more examples, but these three came quickest to mind.

[Janus Whitefurr]

I completely steer clear of anything authored by Robin Hobb after having suffered the dirt-dragging Soldier Son novels, especially Forest Mage. While the characterization and credibility is excellent, there is just something fatalistic and desolate and apathetic about it, both the characters and the obviously declining and stagnated world that the books are set in, and that makes me loathe both.

His Farseer Trilogy is a fun read. As are  Liveship Traders books. Past that, I've not seen much good out of Hobb, honestly.

[Tapewolf]

The was also a book I read last year on the way back from Anthrocon which was so horrifically bad I have mercifully forgotten the title and author.  But not the plot, unfortunately.  It was as though someone had adapted Tomb Raider or something into a novel, only even less plausible and with even less regard for what is physically possible in everyday life.  If anyone is morbidly curious I can probably dig up the details.

"Seven Ancient Wonders" by Matthew Reilly.  It truly is abysmal.  Apparently the author has written five previous novels, at least one of which was a bestseller.  Supposedly he now writes and produces TV serials for a living - if they are anything like this shit, I think I'm in the wrong business.

The one and only highlight of the story is the ritual at the climax, which is itself gravely marred by the fact that it violates astrophysics on such a basic level that a ten-year-old could spot the problems with it.  I can live with a certain suspension of disbelief, but let's face it, this one doesn't require suspension of disbelief, it requires a lobotomy.

[Janus Whitefurr]

The was also a book I read last year on the way back from Anthrocon which was so horrifically bad I have mercifully forgotten the title and author.  But not the plot, unfortunately.  It was as though someone had adapted Tomb Raider or something into a novel, only even less plausible and with even less regard for what is physically possible in everyday life.  If anyone is morbidly curious I can probably dig up the details.

"Seven Ancient Wonders" by Matthew Reilly.  It truly is abysmal.  Apparently the author has written five previous novels, at least one of which was a bestseller.  Supposedly he now writes and produces TV serials for a living - if they are anything like this shit, I think I'm in the wrong business.

The one and only highlight of the story is the ritual at the climax, which is itself gravely marred by the fact that it violates astrophysics on such a basic level that a ten-year-old could spot the problems with it.  I can live with a certain suspension of disbelief, but let's face it, this one doesn't require suspension of disbelief, it requires a lobotomy.

Self published, looks like a uni student honestly. Australian author, so I have a certain leeway towards liking his works. His Scarecrow novels mostly - the others are a collection of so-so works. Unrelatedly, I have never liked the argument re: suspension of disbelief. If you're nitpicking a fiction novel for inaccuracies you're reading the wrong material.

[Corgatha Taldorthar]

Actually, now that I mull it over, there was this one "series" that I absolutely consider, not only a waste of my time, but has actively lessened me as a student of the written word, and that's the "Dawn of Amber" series by John Gregory Betancourt. It's not so much that they're awful. They're bad, but I've read far worse. What makes them truly abominable is that this guy vultured off the carcass of the absolutely wonderful multiverse that Zelazny came up with and turned it's latest taste into a pile of garbage.