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I don't know if i have ever "read" terrible books, but I have tried some. There have been books from best selling authors I couldn't click with, same can be said for some by indie writers I've tried. If a book doesn't grab me, I wont take the time to finish it. No different then a movie for me, as I read mainly to escape and be entertained. If that isn't happening, then it's on to the next one.
That said, I normally won't bash a book or write a negative review if I didn't finish the story, seems unfair to rip something that I didn't even read to the end. I also try to avoid following what others say on a specific book, too many times I've tried one of those "ohhhhh you gotta read this book, it's awesome!" just to be let down. Different strokes for different folks.
I guess one of my 'terrible books' was The Amityville Horror. Poorly written, and the author tried to create a sense of 'horror' by such statements as "And when she opened the blind, the window was covered with flies!"
The Historian is a perfect example of an author just plain trying too hard. Trying to appear smart and intellectual, using WAY too many senseless modifiers, and obviously writing with an open thesaurus. This is my favorite passage from the book:
The last item was a little ivory envelope, sealed and unlabeled. I set it aside, heroically, without touching the flap.
Seriously. Never in the history of humanity has setting aside an envelope been an act of heroism. Never. Not once. That is just an example of an author who things every noun needs at least two adjectives and every adjective at least one adverb.
As for Dan Brown, this review is the best summation of his writing I've ever read:
Loved the Dan Brown review! Made me chuckle. While his writing doesn't stand out for me (will have to thumb through the one book we own), I find the ending to several of his books anticlimactic. So much action, puzzles, mysteries and then.....blah. I can't remember the last book I read but the ending seemed so boring. I suppose that I wanted a National Treasure sort of ending to some of his books.
I guess one of my 'terrible books' was The Amityville Horror. Poorly written, and the author tried to create a sense of 'horror' by such statements as "And when she opened the blind, the window was covered with flies!"
I've never read the book. Wasn't it written by a tabloid journalist?
By far, the worst book I have ever read is Fifty Shades of Grey. I didn't get past the third chapter it was written so badly. That it was so popular saddens me, because it proves the lack of education of many readers. I feel bad for real authors who are good writers that never get their work published.
Location: Montreal -> CT -> MA -> Montreal -> Ottawa
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark S.
The Historian. This is my favorite passage from the book: "The last item was a little ivory envelope, sealed and unlabeled. I set it aside, heroically, without touching the flap."
Seriously. Never in the history of humanity has setting aside an envelope been an act of heroism. Never. Not once.
I wasn't going to even bother reading this thread because I know that one person's trash is another person's treasure, but I'm so glad that I read it.
This made me laugh so hard that I thought I'd pee. Thanks for the giggles, Mark.
He said more in two short sentences than most writers could say in two pages. I haven't read the author, but it's obvious that he can write.
The author is a she, and it's one over-written excerpt from an overwritten chapter. If you're looking for the two pages of description, it's there in a 22 page chapter.
Good writing is just as much about what is NOT said as what is said. Elizabeth Kostova over writes.
Of course, I think the same thing about A.S. Byatt, whom everyone else seems to love.
The book I always think of when I hear this question is "The Pilot's Wife." It was so bad I can't even bring myself to look at another book Barbara Delinskey has written.
Anita Shreve wrote The Pilot's Wife.
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Seriously. Never in the history of humanity has setting aside an envelope been an act of heroism. Never. Not once. That is just an example of an author who things every noun needs at least two adjectives and every adjective at least one adverb. 
