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Post by Alatariel on Nov 8, 2020 20:52:49 GMT -6
I hate Neal Stephenson!!! When I meet a dude-bro who gushes about him, I know to steer clear. Big red flag.
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Bird
Counselor 
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Post by Bird on Nov 9, 2020 9:46:52 GMT -6
I hate Neal Stephenson!!! When I meet a dude-bro who gushes about him, I know to steer clear. Big red flag. Welcome to the Hate-Neal-Stephenson club! We got cookies and ice cream here.  |
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Post by RAVENEYE on Nov 18, 2020 9:33:54 GMT -6
Meh, what do you know? I never added my own. I was too enthralled by all your reading woes.
* Which book(s) did you despise?
David Copperfield
* Why?
Angelic boy who never does anything wrong is mistreated for no reason other than everyone else is an ass. "I am born..." Seriously? No shit, dude. So are we all. What makes your birth so astounding that you would even start a story with that? Charles, really?
* Did you muscle on and actually finish reading it?
I believe I quit at the halfway point when the thought of continuing actually caused me to sob.
(On the other hand, Great Expectations is one I'll read a million times, cuz Pip is a jerk who does some truly terrible things to good people and is therefore interesting. And Miss Havesham, dear God, what a great character.)
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Post by whaleworkforfood on Dec 7, 2020 6:42:05 GMT -6
To Kill A Mockingbird. I was forced to read it in high school and THEN write a 3-page essay on it. Either 3-page or 1k words. We got a choice between the two. Nope. Oh, I read the book, certainly. I was a good boy. But the essay? I couldn't handle it. I honestly don't remember what I wrote, but I ended up getting a disciplinarian notice because my essay was considered an "attack on the character and person of a beloved author". Which was made worse when I refused to apologize for my "disruptive, opinionated behavior" to the rest of the class, which frankly wasn't my fault. She wanted my opinion, and I gave it. Not my problem she insisted on reading it to the rest of the class. I believe she thought it would make me ashamed but nope, I was pretty proud of myself honestly and my teacher only reinforced my pride by reading my essay to the class. Needless to say, I hated the book and found the plot dull and predictable. I literally knew how the majority of the novel was going to turn out by the time I read through a third of it. There was nothing redeeming about it. The characters were so forgettable I couldn't tell you the name of any of them any longer. I got about as much enjoyment out of it as I would watching a pot of water boil repeatedly. (I do remember that line being in the essay actually) I was a controversial student though anyway. F--k you Harper Lee. I actually like the book, but I was slightly disappointed after reading it. There's so much acclaim around this book that I was going in, expecting a masterpiece. It was good, just not amazing. Although that could be because I'm not American, and I don't have the context/background to fully appreciate the book? I agree in that the plot was rather easy to guess and there was a kind of sentimentality(?) about the book that kind of irked me.
It's been a while, but I really, really loathe The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Heinlein. It was the first (and last) Heinlein I've read.
I don't necessarily mind when a writer inserts their politics into a book, but Heinlein did not insert, so much as forcibly shove his ideology down my throat like I was a struggling child who didn't want to eat his veggies.
The protagonists were totally obnoxious. The plot existed solely to either let the protagonists smugly tell me how clever they were, or smugly shout Heinlein's politics at me. They were so annoying that by the end of the book, I was positively rooting for the entire moon to be blown up.
The infuriating thing was that I liked the premise. A moon base revolting against Earth? Yes! But whatever positive feelings I had for the world-building were just completely done away with by the nothing-to-write-home-about writing and the annoying politics/characters.
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Post by RAVENEYE on Dec 7, 2020 9:15:36 GMT -6
The infuriating thing was that I liked the premise. A moon base revolting against Earth? Yes! But whatever positive feelings I had for the world-building were just completely done away with by the nothing-to-write-home-about writing and the annoying politics/characters.
Hmm, this is one of those kinds of disappointments that inspires some authors to write their take on a topic. If you were to write about a revolt on the moon, I'm guessing it wouldn't involve political grandstanding. What else would you do differently? And, yeah, I hadn't read Heinlein's stuff before I happened to watch the movie version of his Starship Troopers, and I hated that movie. Whether or not it was faithful to the book, I decided his work wasn't for me. |
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Post by ZukoMee on Dec 10, 2020 19:39:29 GMT -6
I liked the movie starship troopers...though only as the mindlessly cheesy bug-fest killer movie that it was. I'm kind of disappointed that it was even allowed to be a book. I wasn't aware the movies were based on books. Maybe I'm biased, but I always felt that movies can be just blah/dull and still be considered decent enough to watch. Sometimes even re-watch. But books have to the pinnacle of experience because whereas movies have some room to fail and still succeed...books don't. It's text, not moving pictures. Text has less room for weakness.
Dunno.
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Post by RAVENEYE on Dec 10, 2020 23:19:02 GMT -6
But books have to the pinnacle of experience because whereas movies have some room to fail and still succeed...books don't. It's text, not moving pictures. Text has less room for weakness. Dunno. Interesting take on that. I hadn't considered it from that angle. Just speculating on why this is the case, and I wonder if it's because movies move quickly enough that a viewer may not have time to catch the plot holes, inconsistencies, and breaks in logic/reality until the second or third viewing, but with books, the reader has time to catch all that stuff as they read it the first time. Hmm, just a thought. But yeah. |
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Post by Alatariel on Dec 21, 2020 13:18:55 GMT -6
So the YA series that I hate, Shadow and Bone, is getting a Netflix series. Sigh.
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Post by RAVENEYE on Dec 21, 2020 16:28:35 GMT -6
So the YA series that I hate, Shadow and Bone, is getting a Netflix series. Sigh. Blows the mind, doesn't it? Why do some books (and many bad books at that) get that sort of treatment/attention, while so many wonderful stories end up being neglected? |
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Post by Alatariel on Dec 21, 2020 18:15:12 GMT -6
So the YA series that I hate, Shadow and Bone, is getting a Netflix series. Sigh. Blows the mind, doesn't it? Why do some books (and many bad books at that) get that sort of treatment/attention, while so many wonderful stories end up being neglected? I keep wondering if I missed something? Did I read the book(s) correctly? Because it takes a lot for me to dislike a book. A lot. And yet I can rant about the failing of this series like it's my job. And yet it's utterly beloved by many AND getting a TV show?! Okay, so the prose was good and the world created was slightly interesting but THAT'S IT. The characters and plot were dismal. DISMAL I SAY. *huff huff* |
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Post by RAVENEYE on Dec 22, 2020 10:04:50 GMT -6
Blows the mind, doesn't it? Why do some books (and many bad books at that) get that sort of treatment/attention, while so many wonderful stories end up being neglected? I keep wondering if I missed something? Did I read the book(s) correctly? Because it takes a lot for me to dislike a book. A lot. And yet I can rant about the failing of this series like it's my job. And yet it's utterly beloved by many AND getting a TV show?! Okay, so the prose was good and the world created was slightly interesting but THAT'S IT. The characters and plot were dismal. DISMAL I SAY. *huff huff* Bahahaha!!! That's how I was with the Twilight series. It left my head spinning. I kept looking at this revolting reading phenomenon and saying "What the hell is happening???" But let's not dredge up that old topic again. Ugh.  I'm gonna go wash my eyeballs now b/c I can't look at the title without feeling soiled. |
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Post by buster on May 4, 2021 20:19:33 GMT -6
I spent, or wasted an hour contemplating the answer to this question. I could declare...well, an explanation is required first. I follow Ray Bradbury's advice and read one book of each genre per month. I have altered the plan because I despise erotica and memoirs bore me to death. After all that, the one book I will take to my grave as most despised is the final book in the World of Time series. No, it's actually the final chapter of the final book. Spoiler alert for anyone who hasn't read the series.
I won't place blame on Robert Jordan because Brandon Sanderson finished the series after Jordan died. (they should've chosen better) The creator gives Rand a reprieve after defeating the dark lord and sealing him in the prison forever, or until a prequel. The part I hate is he wakes and his first desire is to leave. His father stands at the pyre mourning the loss of his son. His three wives huddle close and pretend to mourn because they are aware he lives in a new, whole, and healthy body. One of his wives can't walk because of the damage incurred fighting to protect him while he battled the dark lord, but no, he hops on a horse and rides away leaving his loved ones behind to explore the world!!!
Rand discovered the lack of fire to light his pipe, so he just wills it lit, and it happens. This is the point where I explode. Why doesn't he return to will his wife's legs healed? Why doesn't he will his voice into his father's mind to inform him he remains alive? Why bother riding a horse when he could will himself anywhere on the planet? Why not will the world repaired from all the damage war caused? I've never read a lamer ending after fourteen books.
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Post by RAVENEYE on May 5, 2021 12:50:52 GMT -6
I spent, or wasted an hour contemplating the answer to this question. I could declare...well, an explanation is required first. I follow Ray Bradbury's advice and read one book of each genre per month. I have altered the plan because I despise erotica and memoirs bore me to death. After all that, the one book I will take to my grave as most despised is the final book in the World of Time series. No, it's actually the final chapter of the final book. Spoiler alert for anyone who hasn't read the series. I won't place blame on Robert Jordan because Brandon Sanderson finished the series after Jordan died. (they should've chosen better) The creator gives Rand a reprieve after defeating the dark lord and sealing him in the prison forever, or until a prequel. The part I hate is he wakes and his first desire is to leave. His father stands at the pyre mourning the loss of his son. His three wives huddle close and pretend to mourn because they are aware he lives in a new, whole, and healthy body. One of his wives can't walk because of the damage incurred fighting to protect him while he battled the dark lord, but no, he hops on a horse and rides away leaving his loved ones behind to explore the world!!! Rand discovered the lack of fire to light his pipe, so he just wills it lit, and it happens. This is the point where I explode. Why doesn't he return to will his wife's legs healed? Why doesn't he will his voice into his father's mind to inform him he remains alive? Why bother riding a horse when he could will himself anywhere on the planet? Why not will the world repaired from all the damage war caused? I've never read a lamer ending after fourteen books. Ah, sounds like a bad encounter with major Deus Ex Machina. That's terribly discouraging, especially after being tempted to start reading the series. I've heard so much praise about these books and know several people who swear by them. So it's sad to learn that a renowned author ended the series with such choices. Was this what Jordan had planned to do? Would he be turning in his grave? |
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Post by Alatariel on May 5, 2021 13:07:15 GMT -6
I spent, or wasted an hour contemplating the answer to this question. I could declare...well, an explanation is required first. I follow Ray Bradbury's advice and read one book of each genre per month. I have altered the plan because I despise erotica and memoirs bore me to death. After all that, the one book I will take to my grave as most despised is the final book in the World of Time series. No, it's actually the final chapter of the final book. Spoiler alert for anyone who hasn't read the series. I won't place blame on Robert Jordan because Brandon Sanderson finished the series after Jordan died. (they should've chosen better) The creator gives Rand a reprieve after defeating the dark lord and sealing him in the prison forever, or until a prequel. The part I hate is he wakes and his first desire is to leave. His father stands at the pyre mourning the loss of his son. His three wives huddle close and pretend to mourn because they are aware he lives in a new, whole, and healthy body. One of his wives can't walk because of the damage incurred fighting to protect him while he battled the dark lord, but no, he hops on a horse and rides away leaving his loved ones behind to explore the world!!! Rand discovered the lack of fire to light his pipe, so he just wills it lit, and it happens. This is the point where I explode. Why doesn't he return to will his wife's legs healed? Why doesn't he will his voice into his father's mind to inform him he remains alive? Why bother riding a horse when he could will himself anywhere on the planet? Why not will the world repaired from all the damage war caused? I've never read a lamer ending after fourteen books. Ah, sounds like a bad encounter with major Deus Ex Machina. That's terribly discouraging, especially after being tempted to start reading the series. I've heard so much praise about these books and know several people who swear by them. So it's sad to learn that a renowned author ended the series with such choices. Was this what Jordan had planned to do? Would he be turning in his grave? I gotta step in... I can understand this beef. I hear you. Definitely. However...Brandon Sanderson did not invent this ending. He has ALL the extensive notes from Jordan and worked closely with his wife, Harriet. Jordan knew exactly how he wanted the series to end. Sanderson actually talks about this on his podcast Writing Excuses. There were some *minor* character choices/traits he was allowed to change but even tiny details were outlined in Jordan's notes, like the slap between a male character and a female character that Sanderson HATED writing but did so because Jordan was adamant it had to happen. Sanderson also got to speak with and meet with Jordan before he passed away to hammer out details. SO...don't blame Sanderson. ALSO, the end of the series is EPIC in so many ways please don't let this one thing discourage you from the entire series. PLEAAASE. (Also Rand chooses to travel the land in his new body because as the Dragon Reborn he was literally kept in palaces the entire time since everyone and their mother wanted him dead. He couldn't go anywhere or do anything without being recognized. It was so much pressure all the time and he was barely 20 years old. Not to mention the growing madness thanks to the taint on the one power, which he can now use freely. So he wants to experience life in a simple easy unnoticed way. He doesn't want to be this magical being to everyone, so he'll only use his power for small things at the moment. Personally, I was certain he'd eventually come out to his father but for now...he'd finally do something for HIM. The entire 12 (13??) book series is about how he's The Chosen One and must sacrifice himself to the greater good and how nothing he wanted mattered. So I don't blame him at all for taking a little "me time".) |
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Jib
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Post by Jib on May 5, 2021 23:24:39 GMT -6
Unpopular opinions, incoming!
I really didn't like the Wheel of Time books... LOL. I wanted to like them, but quit after like the third or fourth book because it just wasn't my thing. The gender based magic system stopped being appealing fairly quickly. I also found the Seanchan to be icky and honestly kinda racist. They had this kind of weird bondage thing going on and it just didn't work for me. Sorry for folks who liked them! I almost do wanna read the sections that Brandon Sanderson took over for because he is a writer I happen to like a lot. I don't know if I want to go through all of the others first though.
Other books I didn't like include...
My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry by Fredrik Backman. I know a lot of folks really liked this book (lookin' at you, Raven & Caulder!), but I just couldn't get into it. The main character is way too precocious for the age she's supposed to be. I could have maybe overlooked that, but I just didn't like any of the characters. The final offense for me was the main character giving a dog chocolate! LOL. (Ok, minor spoilers, it was not an actual dog, but it made me very mad nonetheless because people reading it could be super irresponsible and think it's okay to poison their critters!)
Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky. This one started off in an interesting manner, but I stopped reading halfway through because there just didn't seem to be a point. It had a very dark and gritty outlook on a number of topics, which was its first offense. There's a place for books that have no hope or nothing good to say about the future, but it's very very hard for me to be interested in them. A complete lack of redeemable characters was its second offense... seriously, I can't imagine a more unlikable cast. The spider characters were vaguely more likable and even they weren't very nice... and then third offense was just the randomly weird supposedly edgy "reverse sexism" stuff that was going on. Sorry again for folks who liked this one! No judgement, really.
I also started reading Great Expectations maybe ten years back. I really wanted to like this one since I generally like Dickens, but I just couldn't get into it. My expectations were high, but alas! 
I know someone else mentioned Wuthering Heights... this one was assigned to me in a class and I absolutely hated it! I was very excited to read a book by one of the Bronte sisters after much previous fanfare. A woman writing at a time when women weren't supposed to write? Sounds fascinating to me!! But this one was a complete and utter disappointment. Again, sorry for folks who liked it! I just found myself bored to tears. LOL.
Anyway... this turned into a long probably incoherent ramble.   Just wanted to end on the final note that... I am actually super excited by how much variety there is and how many differences of opinion there can be, even amongst highly respected and skilled writers. Isn't it wonderful that we can all like and enjoy different things? And equally so, that we can dislike stuff too? I dunno, I think it's pretty cool. Stay awesome, y'all! |
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I'm gonna go wash my eyeballs now b/c I can't look at the title without feeling soiled.
Just wanted to end on the final note that... I am actually super excited by how much variety there is and how many differences of opinion there can be, even amongst highly respected and skilled writers. Isn't it wonderful that we can all like and enjoy different things? And equally so, that we can dislike stuff too? I dunno, I think it's pretty cool. Stay awesome, y'all! 
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