Books that you would throw away before passing on

[corina]

In another thread Ooshie said that she threw away "Veronika decides to die" rather than passing it on.

 

I would never pass "American Psycho" on to another person but since it was loaned to me I had to give it back (too disturbing/explicit for me)

 

I know this goes against the grain of everything most of us book lovers believe in, but has any book had such a strong reaction for you that you would rather throw it out than pass it or even take it to a second hand shop?

[sirinrob]

One book that went unfinished into the recycle bin was 'Winkie' Clifford Chase - the writing is dire. Rare for me but to me this was unreadable tosh.

 

ETA

 

this is the only book I have recycled as I wouldn't inflict it on anybody else. Books I do dislike normally go to charity shops.

Edited April 5, 2010 by sirinrob

[chesilbeach]

I would never throw a book away, no matter how bad. It would always go to a charity shop.

[Kylie]

I've recycled a couple of books that were no longer in a readable condition. For books I've really disliked, I've either sold them on ebay or donated them to charity.

[frankie]

Same here, I always donate even the worst books to charity or the library's free book trolley. But I will say I'd rather throw away Tess of the d'Urbervilles than borrow/give it to a friend, I would never want to enable such bad reading.

Edited April 5, 2010 by frankie

[StephenKingman]

Not really, i would much prefer that someone else who may like a book that i disliked get the chance to read it rather than throwing it in a bin. Most of the books i dont want anymore either get passed on to friends, sold on eBay or handed in to the local second hand shop.

 

Having said that, i have thrown tonnes and tonnes of magazines away in the bin when im done with them because its hard to hold on to magazines the same way as books-they have a much shorter shelf life. I have a press which holds 3 drawers of old magazines that i want to hold onto but most of them go straight in the bin...

[Freewheeling Andy]

Yeah. All my books go to charity. No matter how bad I think something is, there's going to be someone who likes it, or at least someone who wants to know whether and why they dislike it.

[Stephanie2008]

All mine always go to a charity shop too (only the ones I don't like, all the rest get kept in storage boxes ).

[Ooshie]

*Guilt* I do have to confess to throwing another book away because of how distressed it made me feel

 

Unfortunately, I can't remember either the title or the author (although I think it was an established woman writer). The book itself dealt with the slide into dementia of the grandmother in a family, and I think it was written from the points of view of the mother of the family and the young daughter. It dealt with the grandmother becoming more and more ill, until the mother felt unable to cope and put her in a hospital/home; once they saw how the grandmother was treated, they brought her home again.

 

I seem to remember that the book contained the thought that you wouldn't want to live like that and would wish to kill yourself, but that once you are in that condition you are unable either to formulate that thought or to act on it.

 

The strength of feeling it evoked in me speaks for how well it was written, and I wish now that I hadn't thrown it away, but at the time I just found it too upsetting and didn't want to inflict those feelings on anyone else by giving it to them!

 

I keep all the books I enjoy, and usually give books I don't think I will want to read again to the charity shop.

[corina]

 

I just found it too upsetting and didn't want to inflict those feelings on anyone else by giving it to them!

 

I keep all the books I enjoy, and usually give books I don't think I will want to read again to the charity shop.

 

That is what I meant Ooshie. And may I say that I have never actually thrown a book in the bin. I even found it quite disturbing when I did a craft class and we had to glue pages of books together, then cover them in gold paint, cut out a piece of one of the open pages and put a message in there. Does anyone remember this awful craze from about 15 years ago *shudders*.

We have a medical book at work and I would never pass that on to a non-medical person on account of the graphic photos. Nor would I send that to the charity shop either.

Edited April 5, 2010 by corina
typo

[chrysalis_stage]

Same here, I always donate even the worst books to charity or the library's free book trolley. But I will say I'd rather throw away Tess of the d'Urbervilles than borrow/give it to a friend, I would never want to enable such bad reading.

 

That surprises me, I haven't finished reading Tess by Hardy but what I have read so far I loved. As they say each to their own but its a shame you wouldn't want to give to another as alot have enjoyed it

 

Yeah. All my books go to charity. No matter how bad I think something is, there's going to be someone who likes it, or at least someone who wants to know whether and why they dislike it.

 

Exactly! All mine go to other homes or charity, unless they are too battered and cannot be read any longer by anyone, such as pages missing etc

[frankie]

That surprises me, I haven't finished reading Tess by Hardy but what I have read so far I loved. As they say each to their own but its a shame you wouldn't want to give to another as alot have enjoyed it

 

Well I'm glad you're enjoying it I thought the book was absolutely boring and depressing, and I hated all the characters. I didn't feel any sympathy towards Tess although she is a victim in someways, I just felt she was a really pathetic character. (It also might have something to do with the fact that I had to read the book for a lit course... )

[chrysalis_stage]

Well I'm glad you're enjoying it I thought the book was absolutely boring and depressing, and I hated all the characters. I didn't feel any sympathy towards Tess although she is a victim in someways, I just felt she was a really pathetic character. (It also might have something to do with the fact that I had to read the book for a lit course... )

 

Yes that may be a factor towards your dislike I know any book I read for English lit. I found hard to like because of the depth of analysis boring me to death at the time. I do agree it is a depressive read, some people like such things others do not

[frankie]

Yes that may be a factor towards your dislike I know any book I read for English lit. I found hard to like because of the depth of analysis boring me to death at the time. I do agree it is a depressive read, some people like such things others do not

 

I don't mind some depressive reads, but Tess was just too much for me. If I'd actually liked her as a character I might have enjoyed the book a lot more. I still have that copy and it haunts me on my bookshelf, I think I might give it another go in a few years and see if I'll like it better on the second reading.

 

And while I do think the 'must-read-for-uni' must've been a factor, I have to say that I've enjoyed most of the other obligatory reads (such as Jane Eyre, Northanger Abby, The French Lieutenant's Woman, The Bell, A Tale of Two Cities, Grapes of Wrath and so on). There are only few titles (Totd'U and The Prime of Miss Jean Broadie) that I absolutely despised.

[chrysalis_stage]

Yeah sounds like its just the particular book this time then. Giving it another go sounds like a good plan though. I plan on re-reading some books I had to study in the past to try and see if I can see them in a different light.

[Vladd]

The only book I can remember throwing away was Inside the Third Reich by Albert Speer. His whining tone thoughout the book became to much for me and I launched it across the bedroom, it rebounded off the wall straight into the wastepaper bin.

[poppyshake]

No, I would always take it to the charity shop .. even if i hated it or disapproved of it ... someone else might feel differently.

[BookJumper]

No matter how much I happened to loathe a book, I'd always charity shop it or set free it on public transport - someone might well love that which I have hated.

[Kell]

Anything by Gina Ford - I wouldn't want to risk one extra parent getting their hands on such poisonous nonsense. I received an extract of one of her parenting books free on a magazine and not only did I throw it away, I ripped it to shreds first. I've never read such nonsense in my entire life.

[BookJumper]

Out of interest Kell, what were her enlightened views?

[Denise]

I cant remember throwing any away but I may have done in the past.I tend to pass a lot of my books on to other people or give them to the op-shops.I have also given some to the library here too.

 

Somebody here though throws their books out cos OH & I found a huge plastic bag full of books at our local tip.Lots that I will be getting stuck into...

[Dimitra]

I've never thrown away anything, but I have a book that temps me to do so (or at least I must get rid of it somehow). I read it when I was about 11 because we did a part of it in class and I really liked it and the protagonist was in the same age. But in the end of the book, it is implied that she's about to be raped and that upset me, especially considering my age then. And whenever I think about it I get a little upset.

[Susie]

I recently gave a book away to my sister, but warned her that I did not like it.

[Kreader]

I'd give books away to people and charity shops but I'd never destroy one, I think that sacrilegious. What we like is subjective. Someone somewhere is bound to enjoy reading what you can't/don't/won't read.

[Nienna]

No matter how much I happened to loathe a book, I'd always charity shop it or set free it on public transport - someone might well love that which I have hated.

 

What a good idea!

 

I might do that with Doors Open by Ian Rankin. I bought it to try out the crime genre, which I'm pretty badly-read in, and I am sorry to say it has single-handedly destroyed any inclination I had had to try that genre out. It will take me a long time to recover. The most boring waste of time I have ever thought up and endured.

 

Similarly, if anyone with a swapsies thread wants it, let me know! I'm sure you'll all be jumping for it as clearly I have sold it so well.