What’s the worst book you’ve read recently?
(I figure it’s easier than asking your all-time worst, because, well, it’s recent!)
Most of the stuff that I’ve read recently has been very good, rather good, or at least decently good. To really get to anything that was ‘bad’ I’ve had to look back to April. I’ve read some books that I didn’t enjoy, but in which I saw the merit and could see how others would like it, but back in April I found a book that just dragged and annoyed me: “A Lion Among Men” by Gregory Maguire. I loved “Wicked,” which I know that not everyone did. However, I have yet to like another one of Maguire’s books. I was okay about “Son of a Witch,” mostly because I wanted to get deeper into the world that Maguire created in “Wicked,” but even going deeper into that world didn’t save “A Lion Among Men” for me. I was just plain bored by it, it didn’t do anything for me at all, and I thought some of the profanity was completely gratuitous. It was the book that finally made me say that I’m DONE with Maguire, other than a potential reread of “Wicked” at some point.
What’s the worst thing you’ve read recently?
I appreciate the fact that you mentioned the work you LOVE by Maguire, while being honest about your feelings about his current book.
I’m always reluctant to name a “worst book” because as an author myself, I’d hate to see my book one somebody’s “worst” list. And as you point out, one person’s “worst” may be somebody else’s “best.”
The book I’ve had trouble getting through lately is Joyce Maynard’s THE USUAL RULES. Great characters, very well written, but just TMI. I’d probably love the book if it had been edited to half its current length; as it is, I’m taking it back to the library, unread, tomorrow.
I tried reading Wicked months ago – I could just not (for the life of me) get into it! It was one book that I put back on the shelf, never to be finished. I can’t say I am surprised that his other novels were not so great. It’s such a disappointment because I am one of the BIGGEST Wizard of Oz fans.. ever. So bummy.
.-= Allison´s last blog ..Booking Through Thursday: The Worst Recent Book #meme =-.
Oh no! A friend bought me this for Christmas and I feel rather obligated to read it… I also rather enjoyed Wicked and was lukewarm about Son of a Witch, so now I’m a bit apprehensive. I was planning to do a big re-read of the series; do you think that would help this book or just reinforce its inferiority?
.-= Alison´s last blog ..Booking Through Thursday (13 August) =-.
It depends on how lukewarm you were about Son of a Witch, probably. Rereading the whole thing will either help you appreciate it all more because you’ll still be in the Oz ‘groove,’ or reading two ‘eh’ books in a row will really annoy you. Or, at least, those would be my two probably reactions.
Hmm. Good point. Maybe I’ll save these for my next vacation… I seem to be more forgiving of eh books when I don’t have my bookshelves around.
(On an unrelated note, it’s an Al(l)ison party in your comments!)
I actually hadn’t heard of this book, but I’ve been meaning to read Wicked for a while now! Good to know
.-= Allison´s last blog ..Booking Through Thursday (5) =-.
I’ve read 2 of Maguire’s books and didn’t enjoy either one of them, so I think I’ll skip this one.
.-= Kathy´s last blog ..Review: The Seamstress =-.
I’m one of those people who didn’t like Wicked, so it’s probably a safe bet that I’ll never make it to this one.
I chose The Reader by Bernhard Schlink as my most recent bad book. You can check out my thoughts here.
.-= Susan B. Evans´s last blog ..Booking Through Thursday =-.
I have not read anything by this author but I’ve heard so much about Wicked. Sorry to hear you didn’t care for this one.
.-= Lisa´s last blog ..Booking Through Thursday: Recent Worst =-.
I haven’t heard of this book. I couldn’t think of any really bad books I’ve read lately, so I didn’t jump into today’s discussion. That probably means I’m due for a bad book, huh?
.-= Scobberlotcher´s last blog ..Animal Drive-Thru =-.
I hope not!
What is this one supposed to be a retelling of? The Lion King?
.-= heidenkind´s last blog ..Heidenkind’s Art History Challenge =-.
It is the third book in his series about Oz, the story of the cowardly lion.
I am one of those people that did not like Wicked. I didn’t like it so much so that I will never pick up another book by him.
I did read a couple of paragraphs of one of his books based on Cinderella. From that couple of paragraphs I knew that I wasn’t going to like it. I didn’t even bother to borrow it from a library/
.-= Monique´s last blog ..Friday Finds: August 7 =-.
My book club read Wicked, and I was the only one who came close to liking it – and I didn’t love it. (The musical, on the other hand…doesn’t have all that much in common with the book, really.) I haven’t really had much desire to read any of Gregory Maguire’s other novels, though, and your comments pretty much reinforce that.
.-= Florinda´s last blog ..Shufflin’ over to Music Savvy Mom! =-.
I have only read Wicked…. I have a couple others of his but have not read them yet. I dont have this one and from what you said here, I probably wont have this one.
.-= Sheila DeChantal´s last blog ..Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortensonvi =-.
I loved Wicked, didn’t like Lost, but haven’t read any of his others.
.-= stacybuckeye´s last blog ..The Carriage House, by Carla Neggers =-.