Any book by Stephen King or Tom Clancy. It seems that their books are everywhere, but I never had in inclination to pick up a copy. Guess I’m just not too much into fiction.
You people just haaavvvve to read the Da Vinci Code.. It is goooodddd.
I haven’t read any Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings book. Come to think of it, the Da Vinci Code is one of the only fiction books I have read in recent memory. Maybe thats why it seems so good.
Shag, I strongly recommend you try reading a second book. You’ll be amazed at how much better it is.
Another vote for The Davinci Code.
I generally have a rule about bestseller type books. I wait 2 or 3 years to see if anybody is still reading it on my bus ride to and from work. If so, then I’ll give it a try. Usually, I’m sorry I did. I read **The Thornbirds ** and Tom Clancy and was sorry I did. Most things in art that become popular become so because they are done for the lowest common denominator in popular taste. P.T. Barnum is supposed to have said that one will never go broke underestimating the taste of the public. Sturgeon wrote that 99% of everything is sh*t. Nothing I’ve seen in my year’s as a buyer for a bookstore and my own consumption argues that they got it wrong.
There are rare exceptions to these 3 rules, and everybody’s taste is different. I believe you can’t go wrong if you read what you want to read and ignore what the public is devouring this week.
Catch 22. Couldn’t finish it, bored the crap out of me.
Catcher in the Rye.
Atlas Shrugged: I’ve got it but it’s just boring and I gave up after the first few chapters.
I hear that. I popped into the thread to say, “Books I’ve read along with everyone else, and wished I hadn’t - The DaVinci Code.”
Please save me from the Da Vinci Code. Eeeewwwwwwww!
What a way to ruin the name of a great artist/philosopher/scientist.
Bwahahaaa. Zing!
I’ll admit, I read it. What? It took about three hours. It was entertaining. Badly written, but fun. Though I knew what the “secret” was since I’m interested in Biblical history and conspiracy theories. And I knew what most of the “codes” are because I am not mentally impaired.
I didn’t hate DaVinci Code, but I do think it is the most overrated book of all time. It’s an entertaining book, I suppose, but the writing… Dear God, the writing!
Haven’t read:
anything by Terry Pratchett
Ursula LeGuin’s Earthsea series
anything by Hemmingway
anything by Steinback
anything by Tolstoy
anything by Melville (except one of his short stories, about the dude that’s always like “I prefer not to.”)
anything by Dickens (except David Copperfield)
Catch-22
The Blind Assassin
The Devil Wears Prada (heh)
The list goes on.
As a lit major, I feel terribly guilty about not having read Paradise Lost (only bits), Divine Comedy (ditto),* Beowulf * (ditto again), and most of Shakespeare’s plays.
I’ve never read any Grisham, and I never will.
I have the Da Vinci Code in the house but I haven’t read it yet. Judging by the responses on this thread I think I’ll probably keep it on my unread list.
Yes yes yes. I was going to use that very quote (“nobody every went broke,” etc.).
I tend not to read things on the bestseller list except when, as a writer, I think I ought to write a bestseller and be set for life and I read a couple of them or the whole list in order to see how it’s done. I always end up thinking, “Okay, so I’m not gonna write a bestseller. Not my thing.”
Have not read The DaVinci Code despite having been offered a free copy. I really ought to read the thing–plenty of people hate it or are indifferent but it’s still selling. OTOH I have already decided, several times, that I’m not gonna write a bestseller, so what’s the point?
I also never made it through Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Got about 40 pages into it, loved some of the writing, enjoyed the concept, recognize some of the catch phrases–just never was motivated to pick the book up again. I mean, I thought it was good, I just didn’t want to finish it.
I am a total sci-fi fantasy geek that has never made it through any of the Lord of the Rings, Dune or Wheel of Time books. I’ve tried on several occasions to read Hobbit and Dune to no avail. Oh well.
I have a Scottish friend who majored in (I guess they say “read” there) English at Cambridge who claims never to have read any Dickens.
Not sure if I believe her.
The Da Vinci Code (although not feeling so alone anymore)
Catch 22
The 2nd half of Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy
Lord of the Rings (but prefer not to mention this for fear of being extradited from the country)
Grapes of Wrath
Lord of the Flies
The only one worth reading was The Firm
To all of those who haven’t read the DaVinci Code - Good for you! The writing in that book was godawful, and the story wasn’t really that good. (or accurate). Like conspiracy stuff? Go for Robert Anton Wilson or Umberto Eco instead. (Though Eco can be rough going at times)
I’ve never read a lot of classics, even ones I have bookmarked links to.
The Decameron, The Sound and the Fury, Tom Sawyer, even *Where the Wild Things Are.
Read Bob Shea’s Illuminatus! Trilogy- it’s the same story but entertaining, and usually well-written (when trying to emulate Faulkner or sex-scenes).
I’ll acknowledge both my coding error, and that Illuminatus! was coauthored by Robert Anton Wilson, so I’m repeating the immediately above suggestion.