What do you stubbornly refuse to read, and why?

[lexiepiper]

I thought exactly the same RoxiS.C. when I read them, the 4th was a terrible let down, though I did enjoy the first 3 overall.

 

Up until now I've stubbornly refused to read classic books, anything by Bronte, or Austen for example, but this coming year i'm going to try and expand my reading and hopefully read one, even if I dislike it in the end I can atleast say I tried it!

 

Other than that, Westerns are pretty much the only thing I flat out refuse to read, so not my type of thing. Don't really read old war type books either. Actually looking at this, it seems I just don't do anything old haha. I like more modern novels I guess!

[Nollaig]

anything by Bronte

 

Wuthering Heights Wuthering Heights Wuthering Heights Wuthering Heights Wuthering Heights!!!

[lexiepiper]

Wuthering Heights Wuthering Heights Wuthering Heights Wuthering Heights Wuthering Heights!!!

 

I actually think I have that lying around here somewhere, my BF's sister told me I should read it and I just put it to the side

[Nollaig]

 

Its amazing. Its just, amazing. Its been my favourite classic since I was 12.

 

' I cannot express it, but surely you and every body have a notion that there is - or should be - an existence of yours beyond yourself? What were the use of my creation, if it were entirely contained here?' - Cathy, and probably my all time favourite quote from a book ever.

[Guest ii]

Its been my favourite classic since I was 12.

 

Good of you to mention that, I'm not sure we got that from your previous post... *laughs*

[Nollaig]

I apologise =P

 

I get a bit excited over it.

 

*hides*

[lexiepiper]

I'll be sure to check it out, thanks for the recommendation ^^

[Guest ii]

I apologise =P

 

I get a bit excited over it.

 

*hides*

 

No need to hide, Dahlin', I was just teasing you. Making a little good-humored fun...

[Feidhlim]

James Patterson novels because I think the man is an idiot. I read The Jester and part of Three Blind Mice (I couldn't finish it) and his novels are trashy and annoying

[SueK]

Celebrity biogs are a big "no" for me too. I can't think of anything more dull. Same goes for footballers biogs ... like they are capable of stringing two words together anyway;) I had to smile the other day ... Ashley Cole's autobiog was free with a jar of nescafe in a local shop!! Haha

 

Also, I don't like self-help or "looking for the inner self" type of books, another pocket liner in my humble opinon.

[Chrissy]

Mr Jeffrey Archer - NO, NO, NO! You can't make me!

 

Zceleb/footballers/reality tv biogs - Would only if I was made to!

[BookBee8]

Lord of the rings - Made an attempt once, never again!

 

[tbain]

Anything by Catherine Cookson, Jackie Collins or Mills & Boon! Oh and anything by Peter Kay!

[libri vermis]

Here I go again, resurrecting an old thread.

 

I absolutely refuse to read The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner. When the author himself says (and he has about this one) that you need a companion piece to understand his novel, my first thought is:If you the author know that your book has failed to communicate it's message(s), then it is your job to fix that book so that it does so. Otherwise, your novel is a big, fat FAILURE.

 

In other words, Faulkner, by his own admittance, has failed as an artist (at least with this particular novel). Art should not need an explanation, especially by the creator of it!

[Vanwa]

Twilight - I fully understand that it might very well be an entertaining read for most people. In my own opinion, without wishing to raise discussion on the issue, it holds no literary value for me (personally). Secondary to this, my sister has confirmed that it is very similar to LJ Smith's series, which I read many years ago. My sister has also told me, knowing my reading tastes, that I would not enjoy Twilight one iota. On a tertiary level my own image of vampires is very distinct and reading Twilight would be a betrayal to both Dracula and Lestat.

 

The Time Traveller's Wife - On two counts. Firstly that I watched Goodnight Sweetheart religiously as a kid, and therefore the lovelife of a time traveller is no original concept. Secondly, Mum also knows my reading tastes very well, and advised me not to bother.

 

The Lost Symbol (Dan Brown) - I read his other novels a few years ago, and though I enjoyed parts of them, I was not immensely impressed.

 

Finally:

 

Tudor Mania - any of the fictional releases about the Tudor era. It was a period in history I studied lovingly both in school and out. Historical inaccuracies for the purpose of jazzing it up would simply annoy me

 

There are others. I didn't realise I was this opinionated....

Edited November 1, 2009 by Vanwa
Oh the shame of mis-punctuation!

[Echo]

I agree with Vanwa. I also refuse to read anything from the Twilight series (I would rather have my toenails ripped out) or anything about vampires in general, and anything by Dan Brown (I find the man insufferably egotistical).

 

I still refuse to read romance and chick lit.

[Vanwa]

I occasionally read a bit of chiclit, but it's a rare occurrence.

[BookJumper]

If you the author know that your book has failed to communicate it's message(s), then it is your job to fix that book so that it does so. Otherwise, your novel is a big, fat FAILURE. In other words, Faulkner, by his own admittance, has failed as an artist (at least with this particular novel). Art should not need an explanation, especially by the creator of it!

Agreed 100%.

 

I can't help but be reminded of the Black Books episode where Manny managed to sell someone "Ulysses, a Guide to Ulysses and a Handbook to the Guide to Ulysses" !

[Peacefield]

Someday I'll read Harry Potter, LOTR and the Twilight series. I don't want to rule them out though because they sound like something I might enjoy, despite all the hype.

 

Wow, I just found this post of mine from 28 Nov 2008 . My goodness what can happen in a short year! I still have to read HP and LOTR, but obviously I've lost track of the Twilight re-reads.

 

I still stick by my original post though, the only books I actively avoid are over-the-top romance novels with almost nude guys on the cover. They scream boring to me! Otherwise I'll read anything if the story sounds like something that would appeal to me, hype or no, regardless of what the author is like or what idea I have in my head on what a character should be. For me, it's all about finding new things .

[Katrina1968]

I avoid books with gratiuitous (sp) violence and sex. There are books at the bookshoppe where I work that I just dont even want to TOUCH! I opened one book and dang if the first paragraph wasnt full of cursing. Another book was nothing but sex (after the first page of skimming I tossed it) I mean, really, where is the plot?!

 

I dont read goth, Twilight, or ANY vamp books, sick of it, satanic or otherwise "dark" books. I dont know, I just like to pick what I let "enter my spirit" so to speak.

[SueK]

Well done on resurrecting this thread. I also stubbornly refuse to read the Twilight books or anything on vampirism - apart from Dracula and The Historian.

 

I also don't want to read Dean Koontz, Stephen King or James Herbert. I still don't fancy reading the latest Dan Brown either.

[Peacefield]

Can I ask why you don't want to read any King, SueK? Just curious .

 

I haven't read any King since the late 80's, but those old novels of his are really something special to me. I just think he is an amazingly talented writer (at least he was way back then), but that's just me .

[Katrina1968]

King gives me the creeps:tong: You REALLY have to wonder about a man with such a dark, scarey imagination. I mean, this man really has a twisted.

[libri vermis]

All right, I will give my two cents about Stephen King, who is an author I will never read again.

 

I used to like King years ago, when I was teenager. When I started reading other authors, I realized what was missing in his writing. While the man is a master at building suspense, his endings were always a let down. Plus, I never related to any of his characters. When I look back, they seem shallow to me. For example, in The Shining, Jack Torrance could have been a compelling character. But he was simply a drunk that let the evil hotel take over his mind. Well, people are not drunks for no reason. I wanted to know why he was an alcoholic and what about that flaw in his character that led to alcoholism also led to his specific vulnerability to the evil of the hotel. THAT would have been a compelling story. For me, anyway.

 

*waits for the Stephen King fans to throw rotten fruit in my direction*

[Vanwa]

While the man is a master at building suspense, his endings were always a let down. Plus, I never related to any of his characters. When I look back, they seem shallow to me.

*waits for the Stephen King fans to throw rotten fruit in my direction*

 

I'm not a King fan per se, and I struggled to get into much of his writing. As it stands, I've never read a horror or thriller by King to the end (except Rose Madder and The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, the first of which was a little cuckoo for my liking).

 

I then was recommended the Dark Tower series, which is a little more fantastical and less horror. I adore these. The main characters are actually people you can come to love, and the end of the series is in my opinion absolutely phenomenal, providing you get the point.