# Worst and Best "Best Sellers" You've Recently Read **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 5, 2002, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-and-best-best-sellers-youve-recently-read/101899 "2002-04-05T01:23:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**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:** [April 5, 2002, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-and-best-best-sellers-youve-recently-read/101899/1 "2002-04-05T01:23:06Z")
Best: _Blackhawk Down_, Mark Bowden. Maybe the most compelling history of a small military action I’ve ever read. Worst: _Testament_, John Grisham. Well written but exceedingly boring. ---
**Author:** ![Lissla\_Lissar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lissla\_Lissar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissla_Lissar)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2002, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-and-best-best-sellers-youve-recently-read/101899/2 "2002-04-05T02:05:30Z")
Worst: _The Red Tent_, Anita Diamant Best: _The Two Towers_, Tolkien Yes, I know the Best is cheating, but it’s still a bestseller, and i did just reread it…😃 ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2002, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-and-best-best-sellers-youve-recently-read/101899/3 "2002-04-05T02:43:18Z")
I’ve been lately catching up on my “Classics (?) from the 60’s-70’s that somehow I never read.” Best: Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test. Worst: Myra Breckinridge. (I’ll never read Gore Vidal again.) ---
**Author:** ![annieclaus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5a626/32.png) [@annieclaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/annieclaus)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2002, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-and-best-best-sellers-youve-recently-read/101899/4 "2002-04-05T03:57:25Z")
Worst: THE CORRECTIONS! What a muddle of a book. And I liked THE RED TENT. Also liked GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING. Must be a girl thing! ---
**Author:** ![HP\_Ellison](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HP\_Ellison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HP_Ellison)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2002, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-and-best-best-sellers-youve-recently-read/101899/5 "2002-04-05T04:08:07Z")
Okay, ill bite. Best: Drown by Junot Diaz. I picked this book up on a whim about two years ago and although it was a best-seller, i’ve never heard anything about it. Wost: Dreamcatcher by Stephen King. I hate to have to write this, but King _really_ blew it with this book. He killed the best character faaaar too soon, and lost the plot about halfway through. I like Stephen King a lot, but with this book he really blew a dry one. He often says that a novel is not written, but rather uncovered, like a fossil. If that is the case, he didn’t scrape away as much muck from this story as he should have. Oh well. ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2002, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-and-best-best-sellers-youve-recently-read/101899/6 "2002-04-05T04:24:11Z")
I have more than one choice; is that okay? WORST: _Dreamcatcher_, by Stephen King. What HP Ellison said. Ugh. Also _The Corrections_, by Jonathan Franzen. I didn’t even finish it. BEST: I liked _The Testamant_ by Grisham. It was a nice change of pace from his usual courtroom thriller with the young, fresh-out-of-law-school, idealistic lawyer. _The Poisonwood Bible_, by Barbara Kingsolver. Interesting format and face paced. Over all, a good story. _Jackdaws_, by Ken Follett. I like all of Follett’s books. I just started _The Red Tent_, Anita Diamant. It’s very good! ---
**Author:** ![Kaitlyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/73ab20/32.png) [@Kaitlyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaitlyn)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2002, 9:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-and-best-best-sellers-youve-recently-read/101899/7 "2002-04-05T09:22:49Z")
Best Sellers I’ve recently read: Good: _A Widow For One Year_ by John Irving: Excellent. _The Bonesetter’s Daughter_ by Amy Tan: Very good. _A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius_ by Dave Eggars: Good. A lot of fun. _Shopgirl_ by Steve Martin: Very good. Who knew Steve Martin could write like this? _Roots_ by Alex Haley: Excellent. It’s already 729 pages, but when I put it down, I still want more. (the OP didn’t specify recent best sellers, just best sellers recently read, so I think this and The Two Towers qualify). _Esperanza Rising_ by Pam Munoz Ryan. Excellent. The best children’s book of 2000, and it wasn’t even a Newberry honor book. The ALA does such a good job at consisitently honoring good literature that I can almost forgive them this oversight. Worst: _Me Talk Pretty One Day_ by David Sedaris. So annoying I put it down after the first chapter, and I always try to give a book at least the first quarter before giving up. This one left me no choice. ---
**Author:** ![singular1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ba9def/32.png) [@singular1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/singular1)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2002, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-and-best-best-sellers-youve-recently-read/101899/8 "2002-04-05T18:57:04Z")
Sorry, **Bibliocat** and **annieclaus** , I have to disagree on _The Corrections_. I loved that book! But for the best bestseller, I’d have to go with _Prodigal Summer_. The worst would have to be _Isle of Dogs_ by Patricia Cornwall. She really dropped the ball on this one-about a page of Kay Scarpetta, a desperate effort to be on the cutting edge, an embarrassing attempt at being cyber-cool, and pathetic 2-dimensional stereotypical characters that give away every last detail of the story way ahead of time. Went right in the donation box-I wouldn’t even pass it along to friends.😛 ---
**Author:** ![annieclaus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5a626/32.png) [@annieclaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/annieclaus)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2002, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-and-best-best-sellers-youve-recently-read/101899/9 "2002-04-05T19:38:54Z")
I liked PRODIGAL SUMMER, too. I like almost anything by Barbara Kingsolver. I actually prefer to listen to them on audio tapes. . . when she is the reader. She has a really good reading voice. And I also disliked ISLE OF DOGS. (Are you my long lost twin?) I am currently reading THE NANNY DIARIES. It’s a hoot! Can’t put it down. ---
**Author:** ![ITR\_champion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c67d28/32.png) [@ITR\_champion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ITR_champion)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2002, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-and-best-best-sellers-youve-recently-read/101899/10 "2002-04-06T01:22:11Z")
Best: _Hyperion_ . One of the most original SF books ever. Worst: _The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Klay_. Booooooooring, and I never liked comic books anyway. ---
**Author:** ![sorrel554](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/91b2a8/32.png) [@sorrel554](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sorrel554)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2002, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-and-best-best-sellers-youve-recently-read/101899/11 "2002-04-06T02:02:33Z")
> [@](#): > > A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggars: Good. A lot of fun. I seem to be the only person on earth who hated this book. Oh well 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![racinchikki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eada6e/32.png) [@racinchikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racinchikki)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2002, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-and-best-best-sellers-youve-recently-read/101899/12 "2002-04-06T03:00:38Z")
> [@](#): > > > [@](#): > > > > A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggars > > \*Originally posted by D Marie \* > \*\*I seem to be the only person on earth who hated this book. Oh well 🙂 \*\* You’re not. ---
**Author:** ![tachyon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/50afbb/32.png) [@tachyon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tachyon)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2002, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-and-best-best-sellers-youve-recently-read/101899/13 "2002-04-06T04:56:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Number Six \* > > Worst: > > _Me Talk Pretty One Day_ by David Sedaris. So annoying I put it down after the first chapter, and I always try to give a book at least the first quarter before giving up. This one left me no choice. \*\* Uh oh, I just bought this book. There were lots of pretty good reviews over at Amazon so I thought I’d give it a try. Maybe I should have just borrowed it from the library. ---
**Author:** ![Kaitlyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/73ab20/32.png) [@Kaitlyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaitlyn)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2002, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-and-best-best-sellers-youve-recently-read/101899/14 "2002-04-06T06:10:28Z")
tachyon: Humor is a personal thing. I seem to be in the minority in hating this book, so don’t let my dislike keep you from giving it a try. I did, however, get more laughs from the copyright page of A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius than the entire 13 page essay I read at the beginning of Sedaris book. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2002, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-and-best-best-sellers-youve-recently-read/101899/15 "2002-04-23T12:12:31Z")
Just gone done reading _Black Notice_ by Patricia Cornwall. If you know nothing about heroine Kay Scarpetta, let me tell you that she is very clever and gutsy. Oh, and she’s a great cook. Anywho, cut to the end of the book. The really, really bad, homocidal maniac is on the loose (he’s already savagely beaten and murdered dozens of women already) and everyone, including Scarpetta, knows he’s headed for Scarpetta’s house. He’s been to her house two or three times already trying to break in, including once this night. So she calls the cops, they come, secure the scene, then, inexplicably, all leave. (“Well, okay, ma’am, we can’t really spare anyone now but when homocidal maniac shows up, try to give us a call.”) Her alarm goes off, and even though she hears no cop cars pull into her driveway, hears no radio, she sees no flashing lights…she queries, “Who is it?” Homocidal guy says, “Um, yes, it’s the cops.” And…she’s fooled into opening up the door! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Forget “Black Notice.” This book should have been called **"Land Shark.**" ---
**Author:** ![AgentMitten](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@AgentMitten](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AgentMitten)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2002, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-and-best-best-sellers-youve-recently-read/101899/16 "2002-04-23T12:36:15Z")
Hi all! My first post here. I thought _A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius_ started well, but finished really weakly. Some editing might have helped - it essentially just got boring at the end. The one I don’t understand the appeal of is _A Confederacy of Dunces_. Everyone had said how funny it was, and I kept reading, waiting for the funny part, and it just never arrived. I swear that I do have a sense of humor, but I thought the characters in this one, especially the “hero” were far more pathetic than they were funny. ---
**Author:** ![burundi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3ec8ea/32.png) [@burundi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burundi)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2002, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-and-best-best-sellers-youve-recently-read/101899/17 "2002-04-23T14:01:01Z")
This isn’t a particularly recent best-seller, but I read _A Prayer for Owen Meaney_ not too long ago. It wasn’t bad, but I don’t get all the hooplah about John Irving. I started but couldn’t finish _The Ciderhouse Rules_. I don’t want to hi-jack the thread too much, but could some Irving fans explain him to me? **tachyon** , I really dug _Me Talk Pretty One Day_. Not too long ago, I went to a David Sedaris performance. I can’t remember the last time I laughed so hard in public. ---
**Author:** ![Merlot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3e96dc/32.png) [@Merlot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merlot)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2002, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-and-best-best-sellers-youve-recently-read/101899/18 "2002-04-23T15:15:40Z")
Best: House of Sand and Fog by Andre Debus III and Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding. Worst: Waiting by Ha Jin ---
**Author:** ![TigoleBitties](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cab0a1/32.png) [@TigoleBitties](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TigoleBitties)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2002, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-and-best-best-sellers-youve-recently-read/101899/19 "2002-04-23T15:38:09Z")
I am surprised no one has mentioned “Hannibal” for worst. Gadzooks was it bad ---
**Author:** ![scout1222](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/34f0e0/32.png) [@scout1222](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scout1222)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2002, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-and-best-best-sellers-youve-recently-read/101899/20 "2002-04-23T18:58:09Z")
Good God. _Isle of Dogs_ - I almost started a thread on this one the other day. The Trooper Truth writings was just a horrendous example of bad writing. I can’t believe I muddled through it. I’m in the midst of _Black Hawk Down_, which I’m really enjoying. Then it’s _The Red Tent_, which has gotten mixed reviews above. I’m going to give it a shot anyway… [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-and-best-best-sellers-youve-recently-read/101899.md?page=2)