# Tell us about books you most often find yourself recommending NOT to be read **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 8, 2011, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-about-books-you-most-often-find-yourself-recommending-not-to-be-read/602274 "2011-11-08T14:44:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2011, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-about-books-you-most-often-find-yourself-recommending-not-to-be-read/602274/61 "2011-11-09T00:05:38Z")
I had _The Satanic Diaries_ out from the library when the fatwa was announced. I had already decided it wasn’t worth reading. Also, _Dune_. Hate it hate it hate it. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2011, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-about-books-you-most-often-find-yourself-recommending-not-to-be-read/602274/62 "2011-11-09T00:12:11Z")
The Last Picture Show by Larry McMurty was so excellent, it pains me to admit I thought all of the followups (Texasville, Duane’s Depressed) just stunk. ---
**Author:** ![G0sp3l](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c68b51/32.png) [@G0sp3l](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/G0sp3l)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2011, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-about-books-you-most-often-find-yourself-recommending-not-to-be-read/602274/63 "2011-11-09T00:21:35Z")
> [@Balance](#): > > Seconded. > > Did _any_\ It may be the only series I ever gave up on. \ Then you’ve obviously never started Terry Goodkind’s series. The only series I’ve ever given up on. I STILL hate Richard and Kahlan and the rest and it’s been years since I’ve touched one of his ‘books’. > [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](#): > > \ He managed to make _Nynaeve_ likable, or at least bearable. \ No. He didn’t. I like Sanderson and his work on this series and his own. Still, no. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2011, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-about-books-you-most-often-find-yourself-recommending-not-to-be-read/602274/64 "2011-11-09T00:39:52Z")
I haven’t thought about _The Painted Bird_ in ages, but it’s probably the most disturbing book I’ve ever read. I would hesitate to recommend it for that reason alone. > [@Ponch8](#): > > _Wuthering Heights._ We had to read this crap in my senior year of high school. I got so bored I couldn’t help but skim through the last three quarters of the book. If it weren’t for Cliffs Notes, I surely would have flunked the test. > > As a result, I’ve vowed never to read anything else by any of the Bronte sisters, and I’ve also thrown in Jane Austen for good measure. Jane Austen’s novels are very, very different from _Wuthering Heights_. It’s entirely possible you wouldn’t like Austen either, but the closest Austen came to a _Wuthering Heights_ type story was when she parodied Gothic novels in _Northanger Abbey_. ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2011, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-about-books-you-most-often-find-yourself-recommending-not-to-be-read/602274/65 "2011-11-09T01:02:54Z")
> [@happycamper\_5](#): > > An ex-Special Forces Scandinavian/Ojibwa uber-pilot who’s winter hat “left his black hair ruffled the way it always did” and a Wiccan earth-mother bard named Juniper who speaks Gaelic, ASL and can take charge of any situation? > > No. Just…no. I really enjoy that series, although I wouldn’t generally recommend it to people who didn’t have taste in books very similar to mine. But I think there are two factors which somewhat obviate your criticism: (1) there’s a version of the anthropic principle (I hope that’s the right principle, the one which argues that it’s NOT such a crazy coincidence that all the physical constants of earth are just perfect to support life, because if they weren’t, we wouldn’t have life, so we wouldn’t be commenting on it). That is, there were millions of people who survived The Change, but we are reading a book about a particularly interesting set of them because those are the ones who go on to play prominent roles in the post-Change society. So sure there are random people in that world who aren’t so glamorous and unique and Mary Sue-ish. But they ended up either dying or living uninteresting lives, so we didn’t start the book out focusing on them. (2) (spoiler concerning later plotlines) Also, there’s magic and Gods involved, so it makes sense that they would choose legend-sized Heroes to do their bidding and represent their interests Oh, and as many others have said, The Wheel of Time sucked for a while (books 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10) but it has gotten good again (starting with the last book Jordan wrote). ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tooth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c67d28/32.png) [@The\_Tooth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tooth)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2011, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-about-books-you-most-often-find-yourself-recommending-not-to-be-read/602274/66 "2011-11-09T01:27:37Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > I’ve read the first series of the Brian Herbert/Kevin Anderson _Dune_ books, which I feel has given me enough credibility to state that NOBODY should read ANY of their subsequent work, especially if they liked Frank Herbert’s original series. > > Why? The guy grave-fucks his fathers corpse while laughing maniacally, that’s why. It was worse than realizing “God, it actually looks like he didn’t read the original books”, it was more like “God, looks like he read the original books - and then wanted to destroy any sense of dignity and worth they had.” Indeed. One line described an Atreides munching something. The Atreides do not ‘munch’. ---
**Author:** ![haardvark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5ac83/32.png) [@haardvark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/haardvark)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2011, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-about-books-you-most-often-find-yourself-recommending-not-to-be-read/602274/67 "2011-11-09T01:35:29Z")
Any of the “sequels” to _Rendezvous with Rama_ by Arthur C. Clarke. Stay waaaaaaay way away! Any of the Gunslinger books by Stephen King after maybe volume 3. Self indulgent wankery. I’ve reread, and largely enjoyed, most of the books that I read in HS English, but I still cannot bring myself to get near anything by Thomas Hardy, esp _Tess of the D’urbervilles_. ---
**Author:** ![lisiate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f05b48/32.png) [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2011, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-about-books-you-most-often-find-yourself-recommending-not-to-be-read/602274/68 "2011-11-09T01:42:05Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > I’ve been in the same book club since 1998 and the hands-down, no-doubt, kill-me-now worst book we’ve read in all that time was _The Celestine Prophecy_ by James Redfield. Stupid, poorly-written, historically inaccurate, hackneyed New Age dreck. Stinkeroo Supremo. Man, is it _bad_… This, this, a thousand times this. I actually finished it in horrified fascination, how could such an abomination be published? Has anyone read any of the sequals, or seen the [movie](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Celestine_Prophecy_(film))(shudder)? ---
**Author:** ![corvidae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/898d66/32.png) [@corvidae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corvidae)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2011, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-about-books-you-most-often-find-yourself-recommending-not-to-be-read/602274/69 "2011-11-09T02:34:55Z")
> [@alice\_in\_wonderland](#): > > “Not Wanted on the Voyage” by Timothy Findley. > > I think it’s an exceptionally well written book - I just hated it. Hated the story. Hated everything that happened in it. Could not recommend it in good faith. Wish I had never read it. > > FWIW, I’ve enjoyed other Timothy Findley books a great deal - this one was just too over the top for me. Uch, this book. I definitely regretted reading this one. I agree that Timothy Findley is a talented writer, but I just can’t read his other stuff in case it turns out as evil and depressing as this one did. ---
**Author:** ![thirdwarning](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecccb3/32.png) [@thirdwarning](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdwarning)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2011, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-about-books-you-most-often-find-yourself-recommending-not-to-be-read/602274/70 "2011-11-09T04:06:23Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > I find myself warning people away from [“A Canticle For Leibowitz” by Walter M. Miller.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Canticle_for_Leibowitz) I love post-apocalyptic fiction, but I barely made it through this book - it was dry, confusing, and not all that entertaining, in spite of being the first book that a lot of people recommend in this category. > > I have had the sequel, "[Saint Leibowitz and the Wild Horse Woman"](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Leibowitz_and_the_Wild_Horse_Woman) on my bookshelf for years now - I can’t even get started on that one. Take that book off your shelf and dispose of it. Somehow, anyhow. Whatever you do, don’t read it. I say that as someone who liked _A Canticle for Leibowitz_ The sequel was a grave disappointment. Not horrible, maybe, just sort of like nonfat Jello when you were expecting creme brulee. ---
**Author:** ![Lightray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightray/32/391_2.png) [@Lightray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightray)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2011, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-about-books-you-most-often-find-yourself-recommending-not-to-be-read/602274/71 "2011-11-09T04:40:52Z")
Although I love the Thomas Covenant books, I don’t think I’ve ever recommended that someone read them when asked about them. Because most everyone who has asked me about them, has been a _huge_ escapist fantasy reader. And those books, they read as though a diatribe on everything an escapist fantasy reader reads fantasy for. They don’t _end_ that way. But all through the first trilogy, it’s a fairly brutal deconstruction of the genre – every expectation goes horribly, horribly wrong. With a main protagonist who is non-heroic in every sense and utterly unsympathetic for most of the trilogy. I figure escapist fantasy readers would have more fun setting kittens on fire, so I just recommend they go do that. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2011, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-about-books-you-most-often-find-yourself-recommending-not-to-be-read/602274/72 "2011-11-09T04:42:08Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > Remember, kids, if your teacher ever asks you to read anything by Herman Melville, tell her “I would prefer not to.” :: golf clap :: I will say merely that I loved _Dune, Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell_ and the _Song of Ice and Fire_ books, and let it go at that. I forget which Doper it is who said he will leave handwritten notes a third of the way through library books that he hates, saying, “Stop reading - it doesn’t get any better.” Nice. ---
**Author:** ![Philliam](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/philliam/32/3011_2.png) [@Philliam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philliam)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2011, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-about-books-you-most-often-find-yourself-recommending-not-to-be-read/602274/73 "2011-11-09T04:57:54Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > Remember, kids, if your teacher ever asks you to read anything by Herman Melville, tell her “I would prefer not to.” It’s O.K. to say no to “Moby Dick”, but “Bartleby the Scrivener” and “Benito Cereno” can arguably be considered as two of the best short stories ever written. ---
**Author:** ![Arden\_Ranger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b487fb/32.png) [@Arden\_Ranger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arden_Ranger)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2011, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-about-books-you-most-often-find-yourself-recommending-not-to-be-read/602274/74 "2011-11-09T05:12:59Z")
I actually liked the early Shannara books when I read them when they were published I got my daughter’s name out of the books. Of course, I read the \*Sword of Shannara \*before I read LOTR when I was 15 and starved for fantasy at a time when no one else in my house was reading it and it was thin on the ground at our local libraries. I quite firmly warned people off _The Witching Hour_ by Anne Rice. It is the only book I have ever thrown across the room in disgust and later tossed in a fire to save someone else from it. I had bought the whole Mayfair Witches saga at the same time but was able to return the other two. What utter crap. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2011, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-about-books-you-most-often-find-yourself-recommending-not-to-be-read/602274/75 "2011-11-09T05:17:39Z")
Anything by John Norman. I really don’t think I need to elaborate. ---
**Author:** ![gone2thedogs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c67d28/32.png) [@gone2thedogs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gone2thedogs)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2011, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-about-books-you-most-often-find-yourself-recommending-not-to-be-read/602274/76 "2011-11-09T05:22:29Z")
Sometimes a Great Notion - Ken Kesey. Like a lot of his stuff but this is truly the most boring book I have ever tried to read. And probably the only one I’ve never finished. Misogynistic, boring, just awful from such a good writer. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2011, 10:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-about-books-you-most-often-find-yourself-recommending-not-to-be-read/602274/77 "2011-11-09T10:42:06Z")
“Classics” to Avoid: _Silas Marner_ - in which we learn that the life of a peasant is incredibly boring _A Tale of Two Cities_ – the godfather of romance novels and soap operas, perhaps a historical milestone, but a literary cesspool. _The Great Gatsby_ – turns out Gatsby wasn’t so great. _Catcher in the Rye_ – if I ever catch that little shit on my lawn, I’m gonna wring his whiny neck. In other literary no’s, I second avoiding Dan Brown. Terrible writer. James Patterson and Richard North Patterson both developed word substitution software some years back to produce their new titles. John Grisham has got all preachy. ---
**Author:** ![singular1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ba9def/32.png) [@singular1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/singular1)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2011, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-about-books-you-most-often-find-yourself-recommending-not-to-be-read/602274/78 "2011-11-09T12:21:31Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > Obviously inspired by [this](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=630659) thread. > > Patricia Cornwall’s Jack the Ripper book Exactly what I opened the thread for, along with everything she’s written since. What the _happened_ to her? ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2011, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-about-books-you-most-often-find-yourself-recommending-not-to-be-read/602274/79 "2011-11-09T14:15:59Z")
Scarlett and Son of Rosemary. Two of the worst sequels ever published. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2011, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-about-books-you-most-often-find-yourself-recommending-not-to-be-read/602274/80 "2011-11-09T16:18:01Z")
> [@lisiate](#): > > This, this, a thousand times this. I actually finished it in horrified fascination, how could such an abomination be published? Has anyone read any of the sequals, or seen the [movie](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Celestine_Prophecy_(film))(shudder)? They made a MOVIE!? I almost want to see it just to see how bad it is. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-about-books-you-most-often-find-yourself-recommending-not-to-be-read/602274.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-about-books-you-most-often-find-yourself-recommending-not-to-be-read/602274.md?page=5)