I read The Grapes of Wrath this summer (2020) and it was one of the powerful experiences of my life. The novel's message is unbelievably poignant; Steinbeck shows how society can take EVERYTHING from us, yet we still have a way to move forward. I didn't understand the ending at first (it's really weird); after thinking about it for a few days and placing it within the novel's theme, it fits perfectly. I rarely cry when reading, but I literally cried on and off for hours after finishing the book; I couldn't stop thinking about the characters, their struggles, and their willingness to help each other when everything they possessed had been taken from them. The novel isn't for everyone, and I'm not here to convince anyone to read it. I simply wanted to share my feelings about a novel that changed the way I view the world.That's beauty.
You finally gave me the words to say why I hate so many contemporary "trauma memoirs." They are written to elicit an emotional response to the content, but most are not well written books.
The Call of the Wild -- I dont agree The Grapes of Wrath -- I completely agree. Thank you for saying exactly what I think about this book. I like it when booktubers share their dislikes as well as their likes. Thanks for sharing.
I'm binging your videos at the moment because I thought you and I had very similar tastes and I was getting soooo many good recommendations. And then you ranted about The Magicians. And I loved you even more. That book was painful and gross to read. I read it for a bookclub, finished it and then threw it against a wall. You are 100% on point with the rudeness towards Lewis that was done in the Magicians. Gave me the worst taste in my mouth.
How interesting the way people's opinions and what they're left with after reading a book. The Call of The Wild is one of the defining books of my school-age life and not only do I hold that book in very high regard but also consider it one of the best books I've ever been happy to come across in life.
This was such an amazing rant! I’m very similar with style. I’ve noticed that once I find something I dislike with writing, I just start to resent books more as I read through them even if normally I would be interested in the story. The only time I can (mostly) forgive it is when I get attached to characters so I totally understand. Not gonna lie, your hatred of The Magicians makes me really curious. I’ve heard the same - that the first book is the weakest but it gets better - but I also don’t understand why I should be forced to triage through a bad story for some possibility of payoff, especially when I have so many other books I am excited by. All that to say, thanks for sharing your thoughts! I loved this 💕 Oh and my most hated book of all time is Dune 🙃
Yes, I'm not into this idea that you should have to suffer through subpar books before it "gets good." If earlier books are just good or fine but not great, that's one thing, but it's a hard sell that you should have to read a bad book before getting to a decent one
I also HATE The Shadow of the Wind! Not only did the story fail to interest me in any way, but I also found it to be very sexist-and once I realised that, practically every page was inducing so much rage in me that I couldn’t continue. I read it years ago, and just thinking about it now still boils my blood. I do admit to indulging in my fair share of Nesbo’s Harry Hole books though. It used to be that I found them a silly break from heavier literary fiction/non-fiction, though the last couple in the series have been a trudge to get through, and I think the downturn may have started with The Snowman (though they do sort of blend into each other, so I may be remembering wrong).
I've not read any of the books! Though The Grape of Wrath is on my list for this year. I've read 15 books by Steinbeck and love them all (not on the same level, but still). I'll come back and report about the Grape of Wrath!
I think it was one of my least favorite, but it's partly because it really bumed me down (same for The Pearl). Did you consider Travels with Charley? Or The Moon is down? There is so many aspects in Steinbeck writings, non fiction, short stories (the Red pony is also one that is harder to read), slice of life... He is my favorite and probably my most read author, so I've a lot to say about him! But it's also fine if you decide to give up on him :)
LOL on your “Twilight was about...” Jo Nesbo doesn’t work for me. either, and I had high hopes for him, so sadly disappointed. Re: not connecting with classic American lit-try anything at all by James Fenimore Cooper. It’s a challenge just to stay awake!
I'd add Lucy Folley's books, but especially the hunting lodge. Was hyped up as a new Christie, couldn't even get the basics of a simple whodunnit on the page!
The Call of the Wild was one of the first books that I remember hating. Didn't help that I went to school on Jack London's hometown and everyone raved about his work.
Completely agree, The Magicians is to this day probably the worst book Ive read, or the one I’ve hated the most. It’s been more than 10 years since I read it and I’m still pretty angry.
I only outed you because everyone was kicking off and being like "HOW CAN YOU NOT LIKE THIS BOOK?" And I panicked and was like, "MARA DIDN'T LIKE IT EITHER." Did you shoot this before you read The Passage? ;D
Haha, I actually didn't hate The Passage- I'm mostly just disappointed that it wasn't better. It's like a 2.5/3 star book for me, rather than a 1 or 2 star book. I probably would have liked it less if I'd read The Stand already, methinks
i truly looove me a good rant! seriously. books should evoke strong responses, be they positive or negative. and - very important IMHO - as long as one has read them and knows how to articulate a genuine dislike (as opposed to „dunno... it was kinda long/short/not enough butterflies“ etc.) it provides a rich base for a spirited literary discussion. 📚📚📚 how boring if we all agreed on everything all the time. 💤 and - if i may - a quick aside: your eye make-up is on point and that red-cream stripey number in front of the book cases, dang! 💯 and yes, i know this is a video from last year, but i just discovered your channel, so... hey-ho, as the brits say... 🤓
I agree with you for The Call of the Wild and a few of the others. I haven't read most of the books you mentioned here. I hated The Call of the Wild when I read it back in September 2017 and I still hate it. It was really short, but it took me a month to read because it was so hard to get through. I remember the goodreads synopsis saying that it's Jack London's masterpiece, I don't know about that since I have never read any other book by him and I never will after that crap, but it's definitely not a masterpiece in general, no way. I gave it 1 star and I still don't understand how so many people like it and rated it 4 or 5 stars. I'm so glad that there are some people who agree with me.
Jo Nesbo, completely there with you., and I love my Scandi Noir! His style just didn't jive with me. Thankfully, there's so much out there to read instead. Great upload!
Of the books you listed, I've only read the Twilight "Saga" and I completely agree. At the time, I didn't know YA was a thing otherwise, I probably wouldn't have read them haha. Anyway, it sounds ridiculous, but once I read the first one, I couldn't *not* read the other three, ya know? 🙄 A few popular books that I have read and didn't like are: The Handmaid's Tale, The Alchemist and The Book Thief. I know...I'm such an oddball.
Lu, i totally feel you! I think Margaret Atwood can't write and her intentions are transparent so as a reader i can feel her sitting behind the keyboard and trying to elicit a reaction from me. Paulo Coelho is condescending and patronizing, and The Book Thief is one of the blandest books I've ever read. Haha those were strong opinions but i just wanted you to know you're not alone.
I shall put on my suit of armour... Ok,it feels a little uncomfortable and clunky;but now I can begin... I love The Chronicles of Narnia. I grew up with the books,and have re-read them (particularly The Magicians Nephew) frequently, throughout my adult life. C.S.Lewis can do no wrong. His best friend J.R.R.Tolkien,on the other hand,is as interesting to me as peeling wallpaper. Perhaps his vaunted reputation preceded him too much,but he appears to have written with the philosophy of "why use 50 words,when 5000 will do just as well?" Stodgy;long-winded,and unfathomably over-popularised. Ok; I'll take off my amour now.
I love both of their worlds, but neither of them will work for every reader. I think Tolkien is somewhat of an acquired taste if you're not into a lot of description. It took seeing the first movie for me to get through the whole thing
I think the Harry Potter and Twilight comparison was meant to be taken more subjectively then literally. I think in that moment your friend was thinking about more so the level of enjoyment and the obsession towards the characters, and less about the elements of each book.
I don't know if I can name ten works of fiction I "hate," because I'm certain that every writer of fiction sweats blood (metaphorically) when they attempt a novel, but here are 10 I really did come to to thoroughly dislike, probably for no very defensible reasons: 1. "The Counterfeiters," by Andre Gide (because it's too coy for its own good). 2. ""In Spite of Thunder," by John Dickson Carr (because it contains the strangest "gimmick" in all of fiction). 3. "Ten North Frederick," by John O'Hara (because it tries, but fails, to explain why the very rich so often turn out also to be the very strange). 4. "Henderson the Rain King," by Saul Bellow (because I could make neither head nor tail of it -- and I read it twice). 5. "Sophie's Choice," by William Styron (because the situation it proposes is patently absurd and her choice will involve the murder of one or both of her children). 6. '"The Alexandria Quartet," by Lawrence Durrell, (because throughout four novels there is not even the hint of a moral center). 7. "While England Sleeps," by David Leavitt, because he thought nothing of plagiarizing the work of Stephen Spender. 8. "Bleak House," by Charles Dickens (because in its bewildering array of characters and plot devices it is far too much like what passes for the chaos of "real life"). 9. "A Passage to India," by E. M. Forster (because by failing to just tell us what happened in that cave he does a disservice to his plot to his readers). 10. "100 Years of Solitude," by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, (because by the end you feel as though you've suffered through every minute of that whole century of time).
I've got two: The Secret History by Donna Tartt (hated it with a passion), and Harry-fucking-Potter. I read the HP series when I was in my early 20s and enjoyed it, but my God ENOUGH ALREADY. Every time someone mentions HP in a booktube video, I roll my eyes and watch something else.
Call when you mentioned running with Scissors I am so with you. I hate it, hated hated this book. That's truly disgusting parts that I couldn't even get through. I'm a memoir writer and it's a very tough genre to write. I don't know if I agree that he was too close to it or trying to go for shock value without the emotion that it needed
I enjoyed this video especially because I recently read a book many loved but I hated-I didn’t understand why they loved it and recommended to me. It’s The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. I thought the premise was good and intriguing, but there were holes in the plot-the narrator suddenly understood all the mysteries when I, as a reader, didn’t see the connection. It felt as though the author was trying so hard to fit the puzzle pieces when the pieces didn’t belong together. I was annoyed and irritated because I was so looking forward to finally reading this book. Also, I hated Moby Dick. I actually read the entire book but didn’t understand why it’s a classic.
Ooh I loved this video! And your The Magicians rant was awesome. I’ve never read it or heard of it actually but it sounds like something I would really be annoyed by, so appreciated hearing you go off on it. 😊. Hand-waved sexual assault has always bothered me in books, film etc. For me, three popular books I really disliked were Lord of the Flies, Life of Pi and The Da Vinci Code. The first we overstudied at school. We analysed every line it seems and that destroyed it for me. The second had an insufferable narrator and a very unsatisfying “twist” to me and the third was horribly written. All in my opinion of course 😊
Yeah, I'd give it a miss. I just don't think anyone should have to suffer through a full book of badness to get to something better. And I cosign Life of Pi-- I never really got the hype on that one :/
DNFed Shadow Of The Wind, totally get it. I've heard lots of people argue why they don't like Nevernight for good reasons so you're not alone on that either. Some popular books I hate are The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Nieffenegger (glorified male violence, patriarchy, uncomfortably large age gaps), The Girl On The Train by Paula Hawkins (so darn boring), and, I'm almost afraid to say it, Becoming by Michelle Obama (don't hate it, just have certain issues with it and don't think it's as awesome as most people think)
Omg The Call of The Wild.. yeahhhh. So friggen boring. I do love The Shadow of The Wind and that whole series, but I totally get why people wouldn't connect with it!
100% agree!!! Quentin is the absolute worst and he's like constantly commenting on women's breasts!? (I have to say that I think the TV show is a bit better... the women characters have a much greater role.)
it's a slog in the same way Moby Dick is and i think it's a classic for the same reasons: the writings all over the place, the pacing is wildly all over the place, but it has themes that are "universal" etc so it gets held up as this great piece of literature. ultimately i dont think it's aged well.
Can't blame you for not liking The Grapes of Wrath but I hope you have not neglected to read East of Eden, which is much better -- and Steinbeck achieves something really fine there -- he portrays something like absolute evil -- in the form of Cathy Trask -- in a way that makes her somehow fully believable as a character.
The Shadow of the Wind in Spanish is absolutely splendid. I just can’t imagine it in English, maybe there’s something inherently Spanish about the way it’s told (?)
I honestly do not know how can anyone translate a book from spanish to english, it will always miss the mark because spanish is such a complex languaje. I have also tried to read some japanese translated books and it has always felt wrong, its so sad that there are no ways to get the same experience as reading the original work and understanding each word.
I was super excited to read the Magicians because the plot sounded so interesting. I think I lasted 2, 3 pages. Sometimes you can just tell from the get go.
Do you drop f bombs and a bombs too...ha ha Loved Call of the Wild in children's version, even with English being my third language, and liked it in the adult version too.
I agree with you on THE CALL OF THE WILD and THE GRAPES OF WRATH. The ending of the latter book was a let down and anti-climactic. Well written books,. mind you -- but not books that I would ever re-read. Thanks for the video. Gerard Denza Author of THE EDWARD MENDEZ, P. I. series.
I loved shadow of the wind but I can see why people don't like it, i love seeing other peoples bad opinions on books I like, it's so interesting how perception on a book is
For me it would be - "The English Patient." The most pretentious book I have ever read. Then there are books like "Atlas Shrugged" and "Infinite jest" which are at whole another level of torture due to their rambling prose and very little substance.
Everyone keeps saying Neil Gaiman is so good, but I don't like him. Tried reading Neverwere, couldn't get past half way. Then I saw American Gods became a TV show. Tried reading it and it was even worse. I don't get it, I guess...
Yeah, I'm with you on not liking "The Call of the Wild". I definitely didn't think it was the worst book I've ever read...that would either be the Book of Mormon or Hannibal. Those were both horrible books, in my opinion. Also, I don't get "The Catcher in the Rye". I have a friend that LOVES that book, it is her favorite book so I read it again a few years ago and still didn't like it or understand why she liked it. I bought the Twilight Saga books for a female friend of mine when they came out and one night while we were on the phone she started reading one of them to me. I had NO interest in reading that book and was even less interested in her reading it to me. Thankfully she stopped before I strangled myself with my pillow. Great video!
F bombs and A bombs too..ha ha Loved Call of the Wild in children's version, even with English being my third language, and liked it too in the adult print.
Lol it surprises me that anyone feels strongly re: Call of the Wild. I literally forgot it as soon as I read it. It seemed so inoffensive and bland. I hated Grapes of Wrath in school but Steinbeck is fabulous reading as an adult. Otherwise I pretty much agrees with all of these opinions. Ruiz is much better in Spanish. In English it flows strangely in places. However, it's no where near my fave Spanish language classics. (Marquez). The Magicians was meh, but it def ripped off Chronicles of Narnia and the structure was poor. I only read the first book
I’d enjoy a little more arguments on why you hated these books (examples...) instead of repeating 20 times that you hated them and that you didn’t get it etc. Edit: I haven’t read any of these books you have mentioned btw
My Call of the Wild is Moby Dick. I hate that book. Didn't care for Call of the Wild. Grapes of Wrath😴 ditto for Old Man and the Sea plus anything by Rainbow Rowell or John Greene. Thank you, I too found the Jo Nesbo book difficult to get through, and I usually love PI/detective series.
It is really, really unfortunate that you don't like "The Grapes of Wrath." Considering the issue we have today with undocumented workers coming to the states and homelessness, this work is especially relevant to what we are experiencing today. I also found, coming from an evangelical background, many things in the book that had a great deal of resonance.
Ooohhh, This is what I love about you! The Shadow of the Wind, goodness! in Spanish it’s beautifully written, I haven’t check the translation, but I didn’t even finished the book and I think this is the first time I admit to it “out loud”. I learn not to say things like that as i was almost lynched when I said I do not like not only One Hundred Years of Solitude but everything by Gabriel García Márquez, it is like a capital sin to say that being a latinamerican person. But that is my cross and I’ll have to bear it.
There are a lot of us out there, apparently, but we've been forced into silence. Now we're finding each other-- we will be silenced no more!! :) I'm glad to hear it's just a beautifully written in Spanish, since that was really the only thing it had going for it
Perhaps if you were to re-read as an adult some of the classics you didn’t care for as a young student, you might find yourself understanding & appreciating them more now. I had the same issue when reading Silas Marner, The Brothers Karamazov, & Romeo & Juliet but now have an entirely different opinion of them. Please excuse me if this sounds rude to you, but you might want to review this video again & count the dozens & dozens of times the word “like” is used to connect sentences, not to mention the “f” bomb. They only detract from your insightful opinions on books. 📚👓
I read The Grapes of Wrath this summer (2020) and it was one of the powerful experiences of my life. The novel's message is unbelievably poignant; Steinbeck shows how society can take EVERYTHING from us, yet we still have a way to move forward. I didn't understand the ending at first (it's really weird); after thinking about it for a few days and placing it within the novel's theme, it fits perfectly. I rarely cry when reading, but I literally cried on and off for hours after finishing the book; I couldn't stop thinking about the characters, their struggles, and their willingness to help each other when everything they possessed had been taken from them. The novel isn't for everyone, and I'm not here to convince anyone to read it. I simply wanted to share my feelings about a novel that changed the way I view the world.That's beauty.
You finally gave me the words to say why I hate so many contemporary "trauma memoirs." They are written to elicit an emotional response to the content, but most are not well written books.
The Call of the Wild -- I dont agree
The Grapes of Wrath -- I completely agree. Thank you for saying exactly what I think about this book.
I like it when booktubers share their dislikes as well as their likes. Thanks for sharing.
I'm binging your videos at the moment because I thought you and I had very similar tastes and I was getting soooo many good recommendations. And then you ranted about The Magicians. And I loved you even more. That book was painful and gross to read. I read it for a bookclub, finished it and then threw it against a wall. You are 100% on point with the rudeness towards Lewis that was done in the Magicians. Gave me the worst taste in my mouth.
I'm glad we could bond over our shared antipathy-- that book really drives me nuts :(
One year later, same. But replace magicians with nevernight, and same!
How interesting the way people's opinions and what they're left with after reading a book. The Call of The Wild is one of the defining books of my school-age life and not only do I hold that book in very high regard but also consider it one of the best books I've ever been happy to come across in life.
Very true- there's a book for every reader & a reader for every book!
Maybe that is the reason why some people don't like it. It was assigned in school. My daughter doesn't like it for that reason.
This was such an amazing rant! I’m very similar with style. I’ve noticed that once I find something I dislike with writing, I just start to resent books more as I read through them even if normally I would be interested in the story. The only time I can (mostly) forgive it is when I get attached to characters so I totally understand.
Not gonna lie, your hatred of The Magicians makes me really curious. I’ve heard the same - that the first book is the weakest but it gets better - but I also don’t understand why I should be forced to triage through a bad story for some possibility of payoff, especially when I have so many other books I am excited by.
All that to say, thanks for sharing your thoughts! I loved this 💕
Oh and my most hated book of all time is Dune 🙃
Yes, I'm not into this idea that you should have to suffer through subpar books before it "gets good." If earlier books are just good or fine but not great, that's one thing, but it's a hard sell that you should have to read a bad book before getting to a decent one
I also HATE The Shadow of the Wind! Not only did the story fail to interest me in any way, but I also found it to be very sexist-and once I realised that, practically every page was inducing so much rage in me that I couldn’t continue. I read it years ago, and just thinking about it now still boils my blood. I do admit to indulging in my fair share of Nesbo’s Harry Hole books though. It used to be that I found them a silly break from heavier literary fiction/non-fiction, though the last couple in the series have been a trudge to get through, and I think the downturn may have started with The Snowman (though they do sort of blend into each other, so I may be remembering wrong).
I feel like all of us who didn’t like Shadow of the Wind are finding each other on this thread 😂
These are my favorite guilty pleasure videos to watch!! 💜💜
Me too!
I've not read any of the books! Though The Grape of Wrath is on my list for this year. I've read 15 books by Steinbeck and love them all (not on the same level, but still). I'll come back and report about the Grape of Wrath!
Yeah, I got put off Steinbeck by Grapes of Wrath, but I want to give him another try. Of Mice and Men is one that I'm going to get to this year :)
I think it was one of my least favorite, but it's partly because it really bumed me down (same for The Pearl). Did you consider Travels with Charley? Or The Moon is down? There is so many aspects in Steinbeck writings, non fiction, short stories (the Red pony is also one that is harder to read), slice of life... He is my favorite and probably my most read author, so I've a lot to say about him!
But it's also fine if you decide to give up on him :)
LOL on your “Twilight was about...”
Jo Nesbo doesn’t work for me. either, and I had high hopes for him, so sadly disappointed.
Re: not connecting with classic American lit-try anything at all by James Fenimore Cooper. It’s a challenge just to stay awake!
I'd add Lucy Folley's books, but especially the hunting lodge.
Was hyped up as a new Christie, couldn't even get the basics of a simple whodunnit on the page!
The Call of the Wild was one of the first books that I remember hating. Didn't help that I went to school on Jack London's hometown and everyone raved about his work.
I'm glad I'm not alone!!
Completely agree, The Magicians is to this day probably the worst book Ive read, or the one I’ve hated the most. It’s been more than 10 years since I read it and I’m still pretty angry.
You are enchantingly FUNNY! Hoorah. Making my Lockdown Tuesday. Thank you!
Your feelings about Running With Scissors perfectly correlate with my feelings toward Educated.
I have mixed feelings toward educated as well
I only outed you because everyone was kicking off and being like "HOW CAN YOU NOT LIKE THIS BOOK?" And I panicked and was like, "MARA DIDN'T LIKE IT EITHER."
Did you shoot this before you read The Passage? ;D
Haha, I actually didn't hate The Passage- I'm mostly just disappointed that it wasn't better. It's like a 2.5/3 star book for me, rather than a 1 or 2 star book. I probably would have liked it less if I'd read The Stand already, methinks
i truly looove me a good rant! seriously. books should evoke strong responses, be they positive or negative. and - very important IMHO - as long as one has read them and knows how to articulate a genuine dislike (as opposed to „dunno... it was kinda long/short/not enough butterflies“ etc.) it provides a rich base for a spirited literary discussion. 📚📚📚 how boring if we all agreed on everything all the time. 💤
and - if i may - a quick aside: your eye make-up is on point and that red-cream stripey number in front of the book cases, dang! 💯 and yes, i know this is a video from last year, but i just discovered your channel, so... hey-ho, as the brits say... 🤓
I love your channel! 🤗❤️🤗 I am currently binge watching your videos lol! You have a new subscriber.
Hooray! Welcome to the party :)
I agree with you for The Call of the Wild and a few of the others. I haven't read most of the books you mentioned here. I hated The Call of the Wild when I read it back in September 2017 and I still hate it. It was really short, but it took me a month to read because it was so hard to get through. I remember the goodreads synopsis saying that it's Jack London's masterpiece, I don't know about that since I have never read any other book by him and I never will after that crap, but it's definitely not a masterpiece in general, no way. I gave it 1 star and I still don't understand how so many people like it and rated it 4 or 5 stars. I'm so glad that there are some people who agree with me.
Jo Nesbo, completely there with you., and I love my Scandi Noir! His style just didn't jive with me. Thankfully, there's so much out there to read instead. Great upload!
Yeah, he just didn't work for me, but I'm glad so many other people enjoyed his stuff
Of the books you listed, I've only read the Twilight "Saga" and I completely agree. At the time, I didn't know YA was a thing otherwise, I probably wouldn't have read them haha. Anyway, it sounds ridiculous, but once I read the first one, I couldn't *not* read the other three, ya know? 🙄 A few popular books that I have read and didn't like are: The Handmaid's Tale, The Alchemist and The Book Thief. I know...I'm such an oddball.
I also didn't like The Alchemist and The Book Thief but you know how much I loved The Handmaid's Tale ;D
I hated The Alchemist, didn't like but admired The Handmaid's Tale, and was meh on The Book Thief, so I think we are still book friends :)
Lu, i totally feel you! I think Margaret Atwood can't write and her intentions are transparent so as a reader i can feel her sitting behind the keyboard and trying to elicit a reaction from me. Paulo Coelho is condescending and patronizing, and The Book Thief is one of the blandest books I've ever read. Haha those were strong opinions but i just wanted you to know you're not alone.
@@RashmikaLikesBooks Haha! Thanks, I appreciate it! 📚
I shall put on my suit of armour...
Ok,it feels a little uncomfortable and clunky;but now I can begin...
I love The Chronicles of Narnia. I grew up with the books,and have re-read them (particularly The Magicians Nephew) frequently, throughout my adult life. C.S.Lewis can do no wrong.
His best friend J.R.R.Tolkien,on the other hand,is as interesting to me as peeling wallpaper. Perhaps his vaunted reputation preceded him too much,but he appears to have written with the philosophy of "why use 50 words,when 5000 will do just as well?"
Stodgy;long-winded,and unfathomably over-popularised.
Ok; I'll take off my amour now.
I love both of their worlds, but neither of them will work for every reader. I think Tolkien is somewhat of an acquired taste if you're not into a lot of description. It took seeing the first movie for me to get through the whole thing
I think the Harry Potter and Twilight comparison was meant to be taken more subjectively then literally. I think in that moment your friend was thinking about more so the level of enjoyment and the obsession towards the characters, and less about the elements of each book.
I don't know if I can name ten works of fiction I "hate," because I'm certain that every writer of fiction sweats blood (metaphorically) when they attempt a novel, but here are 10 I really did come to to thoroughly dislike, probably for no very defensible reasons:
1. "The Counterfeiters," by Andre Gide (because it's too coy for its own good).
2. ""In Spite of Thunder," by John Dickson Carr (because it contains the strangest "gimmick" in all of fiction).
3. "Ten North Frederick," by John O'Hara (because it tries, but fails, to explain why the very rich so often turn out also to be the very strange).
4. "Henderson the Rain King," by Saul Bellow (because I could make neither head nor tail of it -- and I read it twice).
5. "Sophie's Choice," by William Styron (because the situation it proposes is patently absurd and her choice will involve the murder of one or both of her children).
6. '"The Alexandria Quartet," by Lawrence Durrell, (because throughout four novels there is not even the hint of a moral center).
7. "While England Sleeps," by David Leavitt, because he thought nothing of plagiarizing the work of Stephen Spender.
8. "Bleak House," by Charles Dickens (because in its bewildering array of characters and plot devices it is far too much like what passes for the chaos of "real life").
9. "A Passage to India," by E. M. Forster (because by failing to just tell us what happened in that cave he does a disservice to his plot to his readers).
10. "100 Years of Solitude," by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, (because by the end you feel as though you've suffered through every minute of that whole century of time).
I love your channel i just discovered it last night and I can't stop
I've got two: The Secret History by Donna Tartt (hated it with a passion), and Harry-fucking-Potter. I read the HP series when I was in my early 20s and enjoyed it, but my God ENOUGH ALREADY. Every time someone mentions HP in a booktube video, I roll my eyes and watch something else.
I do love HP, but I can totally see there being fatigue for it from culture in general, not just BT.
I loved “La sombra del viento” but I can’t stand “The shadow of the wind” in English It seems lost an so distant.
Not a fan of Steinbeck! I am with you there.
Good to find another ones!!
Call when you mentioned running with Scissors I am so with you. I hate it, hated hated this book. That's truly disgusting parts that I couldn't even get through. I'm a memoir writer and it's a very tough genre to write. I don't know if I agree that he was too close to it or trying to go for shock value without the emotion that it needed
I was also disappointed by The Shadow of The Wind. I wanted to love it, but it was just boring a lot of the time, and the plot was predictable.
The Magicians is hot garbage.
There are more of us out there who don't like it, but we've all been brow beaten into silence :)
bookslikewhoa There are dozens of us! Dozens!
I never knew how to put into words how I felt about Shadow of the wind... you just did it
Glad to help :) Those of us who don't love SOTW gotta stick together
@@bookslikewhoa we do...I felt so confused as to why everyone adored it.
Loved this video! I haven't started Shadow of the Wind, and now I'm nervous Because of how much people love it here
Hey, it’s worth a shot- a lot of people love it. Just not for me 😊
Hey! I found your channel because you were tagged by seriela in the Booktube Community Tag! I'm now a new subscriber of yours!
Welcome!! Glad you found me :)
I enjoyed this video especially because I recently read a book many loved but I hated-I didn’t understand why they loved it and recommended to me. It’s The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. I thought the premise was good and intriguing, but there were holes in the plot-the narrator suddenly understood all the mysteries when I, as a reader, didn’t see the connection. It felt as though the author was trying so hard to fit the puzzle pieces when the pieces didn’t belong together. I was annoyed and irritated because I was so looking forward to finally reading this book. Also, I hated Moby Dick. I actually read the entire book but didn’t understand why it’s a classic.
Oh, I totally forgot about The Thirteenth Tale... yeah, that's actually one I didn't like either! I totally expected to, but I never connected with it
Ooh I loved this video! And your The Magicians rant was awesome. I’ve never read it or heard of it actually but it sounds like something I would really be annoyed by, so appreciated hearing you go off on it. 😊. Hand-waved sexual assault has always bothered me in books, film etc.
For me, three popular books I really disliked were Lord of the Flies, Life of Pi and The Da Vinci Code. The first we overstudied at school. We analysed every line it seems and that destroyed it for me. The second had an insufferable narrator and a very unsatisfying “twist” to me and the third was horribly written. All in my opinion of course 😊
Yeah, I'd give it a miss. I just don't think anyone should have to suffer through a full book of badness to get to something better.
And I cosign Life of Pi-- I never really got the hype on that one :/
DNFed Shadow Of The Wind, totally get it.
I've heard lots of people argue why they don't like Nevernight for good reasons so you're not alone on that either.
Some popular books I hate are The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Nieffenegger (glorified male violence, patriarchy, uncomfortably large age gaps), The Girl On The Train by Paula Hawkins (so darn boring), and, I'm almost afraid to say it, Becoming by Michelle Obama (don't hate it, just have certain issues with it and don't think it's as awesome as most people think)
Omg The Call of The Wild.. yeahhhh. So friggen boring.
I do love The Shadow of The Wind and that whole series, but I totally get why people wouldn't connect with it!
Haha, I'm in the minority on Shadow, so I'm just glad that a lot of other people enjoyed it!
The Magicians rant!!! Preach!
100% agree!!! Quentin is the absolute worst and he's like constantly commenting on women's breasts!? (I have to say that I think the TV show is a bit better... the women characters have a much greater role.)
o.m.g. i hate The Grapes of Wrath as well. i srsly resented being forced to read it again in college.
Ugh, yuck... I mean, maybe I would like it better now? But yeah, hated it for sure
it's a slog in the same way Moby Dick is and i think it's a classic for the same reasons: the writings all over the place, the pacing is wildly all over the place, but it has themes that are "universal" etc so it gets held up as this great piece of literature. ultimately i dont think it's aged well.
Can't blame you for not liking The Grapes of Wrath but I hope you have not neglected to read East of Eden, which is much better -- and Steinbeck achieves something really fine there -- he portrays something like absolute evil -- in the form of Cathy Trask -- in a way that makes her somehow fully believable as a character.
The Shadow of the Wind in Spanish is absolutely splendid. I just can’t imagine it in English, maybe there’s something inherently Spanish about the way it’s told (?)
I honestly do not know how can anyone translate a book from spanish to english, it will always miss the mark because spanish is such a complex languaje. I have also tried to read some japanese translated books and it has always felt wrong, its so sad that there are no ways to get the same experience as reading the original work and understanding each word.
I was super excited to read the Magicians because the plot sounded so interesting. I think I lasted 2, 3 pages. Sometimes you can just tell from the get go.
Wise decision!! :)
Do you drop f bombs and a bombs too...ha ha
Loved Call of the Wild in children's version, even with English being my third language, and liked it in the adult version too.
Honestly though, I started reading The shadow of the wind. Something was off. I couldn't finish it🤷
I agree with you on THE CALL OF THE WILD and THE GRAPES OF WRATH. The ending of the latter book was a let down and anti-climactic. Well written books,. mind you -- but not books that I would ever re-read.
Thanks for the video.
Gerard Denza
Author of THE EDWARD MENDEZ, P. I. series.
I loved shadow of the wind but I can see why people don't like it, i love seeing other peoples bad opinions on books I like, it's so interesting how perception on a book is
That's how I feel too-- I feel like hearing the reverse opinion from mine on a book always makes me think about that book in a new way
For me it would be - "The English Patient." The most pretentious book I have ever read. Then there are books like "Atlas Shrugged" and "Infinite jest" which are at whole another level of torture due to their rambling prose and very little substance.
Everyone keeps saying Neil Gaiman is so good, but I don't like him. Tried reading Neverwere, couldn't get past half way. Then I saw American Gods became a TV show. Tried reading it and it was even worse. I don't get it, I guess...
Yeah, I'm with you on not liking "The Call of the Wild". I definitely didn't think it was the worst book I've ever read...that would either be the Book of Mormon or Hannibal. Those were both horrible books, in my opinion. Also, I don't get "The Catcher in the Rye". I have a friend that LOVES that book, it is her favorite book so I read it again a few years ago and still didn't like it or understand why she liked it. I bought the Twilight Saga books for a female friend of mine when they came out and one night while we were on the phone she started reading one of them to me. I had NO interest in reading that book and was even less interested in her reading it to me. Thankfully she stopped before I strangled myself with my pillow. Great video!
LOL I'm glad you survived that reading experience :D
F bombs and A bombs too..ha ha
Loved Call of the Wild in children's version, even with English being my third language, and liked it too in the adult print.
I never got Steinbeck - but I haven't tried reading him in a long time.
Lol it surprises me that anyone feels strongly re: Call of the Wild. I literally forgot it as soon as I read it. It seemed so inoffensive and bland. I hated Grapes of Wrath in school but Steinbeck is fabulous reading as an adult. Otherwise I pretty much agrees with all of these opinions. Ruiz is much better in Spanish. In English it flows strangely in places. However, it's no where near my fave Spanish language classics. (Marquez). The Magicians was meh, but it def ripped off Chronicles of Narnia and the structure was poor. I only read the first book
I’d enjoy a little more arguments on why you hated these books (examples...) instead of repeating 20 times that you hated them and that you didn’t get it etc.
Edit: I haven’t read any of these books you have mentioned btw
My Call of the Wild is Moby Dick. I hate that book. Didn't care for Call of the Wild. Grapes of Wrath😴 ditto for Old Man and the Sea plus anything by Rainbow Rowell or John Greene. Thank you, I too found the Jo Nesbo book difficult to get through, and I usually love PI/detective series.
i read the call of the wild recently and i’ve been calling it “animal abuse the novel” the only thing that happens is dogs getting beat by sticks 🥴
All of the books you mentioned- I understandably agree.
“ what the actual fu@k”.. ( lol)
That shirt is cute on you, good colors.
The Great Depression was a honking long event.
Yesssss! Nevernight was a book that was trying hard to be edgy. Nope! Just no.
The one book I read that I hated... Of Mice And Men, John Steinbeck.
I made it 10 pages into Grapes of Wrath and returned it to my school’s library. My librarian warned me and I didn’t listen 😂
It is really, really unfortunate that you don't like "The Grapes of Wrath." Considering the issue we have today with undocumented workers coming to the states and homelessness, this work is especially relevant to what we are experiencing today. I also found, coming from an evangelical background, many things in the book that had a great deal of resonance.
Ooohhh, This is what I love about you!
The Shadow of the Wind, goodness! in Spanish it’s beautifully written, I haven’t check the translation, but I didn’t even finished the book and I think this is the first time I admit to it “out loud”. I learn not to say things like that as i was almost lynched when I said I do not like not only One Hundred Years of Solitude but everything by Gabriel García Márquez, it is like a capital sin to say that being a latinamerican person. But that is my cross and I’ll have to bear it.
There are a lot of us out there, apparently, but we've been forced into silence. Now we're finding each other-- we will be silenced no more!! :) I'm glad to hear it's just a beautifully written in Spanish, since that was really the only thing it had going for it
Steinbeck is incredibly dull.
I had to read George Eliot for my degree...why...why...WHY... I HATE HER BOOKS
Oh my... I love Middlemarch! :) But that's the beauty of art - something for every taste
Since this is a dislike comment section... does anyone else dislike On the Road? The main character truly annoyed me.
Me lol. I dont like the main character too, I guess I get the appeal but personally? Keep it ewww
Who likes Twilight anyways in 2020?
The fans grew up.
In norwegian Harry Hole‘s name is Harry Hole, so it‘s even more stupid.
Perhaps if you were to re-read as an adult some of the classics you didn’t care for as a young student, you might find yourself understanding & appreciating them more now. I had the same issue when reading Silas Marner, The Brothers Karamazov, & Romeo & Juliet but now have an entirely different opinion of them. Please excuse me if this sounds rude to you, but you might want to review this video again & count the dozens & dozens of times the word “like” is used to connect sentences, not to mention the “f” bomb. They only detract from your insightful opinions on books. 📚👓
Wuthering heights and War and peace 😵
I think I must be a bad American also...😆
My least favorite book + movie is Gone Girl, any one?
I hate the rainbow 🌈 fish 🐠 😖🤬🤬🤬.
so much hate