Books that you thought would be good and weren't?

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Lennoc
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Post by Lennoc »

I didn't like Eat Pray Love but I didn't expect to so that wasn't exactly a disappointment.

The books that most disappointed me were A Hundred Years of Solitude and Love in the Time of Cholera. They were recommended to me by a friend who raved about them. He and I swapped books quite a lot and he was someone whose opinion I respected. I hated both of them.
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Fran
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Post by Fran »

Lennoc wrote:I didn't like Eat Pray Love but I didn't expect to so that wasn't exactly a disappointment.

The books that most disappointed me were A Hundred Years of Solitude and Love in the Time of Cholera. They were recommended to me by a friend who raved about them. He and I swapped books quite a lot and he was someone whose opinion I respected. I hated both of them.
I haven't read A Hundred Years of Solitude but Love in a Time of Cholera I thoroughly enjoyed. If your friend loved both books & I fully agree on one there's a good chance I'll agree on A Hundred Years of Solitude ... so it goes on my TBR list.
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B-fly
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Post by B-fly »

Frankenstein :oops: I think I had too big expectations
Hstrylvr
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Post by Hstrylvr »

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. I thought it had an interesting premise, and the tone seemed just creepy enough. My mistake. It was so boring, I had the hardest time getting through it. It felt like a chore. Then when I came to the end I was so disappointed. I literally stared at the book thinking "that was it!" I promptly went and sold the book, I didn't care how much I received for it I just wanted it away from me.
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B-fly
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Post by B-fly »

Hstrylvr wrote:The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. I thought it had an interesting premise, and the tone seemed just creepy enough. My mistake. It was so boring, I had the hardest time getting through it. It felt like a chore. Then when I came to the end I was so disappointed. I literally stared at the book thinking "that was it!" I promptly went and sold the book, I didn't care how much I received for it I just wanted it away from me.
wow was it so bad :shock: And who is Elizabeth Kostova actually?
Hstrylvr
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Post by Hstrylvr »

Elizabeth Kostova is a fairly new author. The Historian was her first book, I believe. I remember reading the reviews saying this was going to be a great book. I bought it, so excited to read it. I just felt the author had no idea what she had gotten herself into. I honestly don't remember half the book as it was such a struggle to stay interested. The ending was just awful. I remember thinking "That's all he (the villain) wanted?!" If it wasn't so horrible I would have laughed.
B-fly wrote:
Hstrylvr wrote:The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. I thought it had an interesting premise, and the tone seemed just creepy enough. My mistake. It was so boring, I had the hardest time getting through it. It felt like a chore. Then when I came to the end I was so disappointed. I literally stared at the book thinking "that was it!" I promptly went and sold the book, I didn't care how much I received for it I just wanted it away from me.
wow was it so bad :shock: And who is Elizabeth Kostova actually?
Dmarie1986
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Post by Dmarie1986 »

Hey Dansgoldilocks

'Don't believe your lying eyes' by Blair S Walker- This was the first time I've ever considered a book bad. It's a good idea for a mystery, yet poorly written with useless information and cheesy cop moments such as 'You can say that again!'.No mystery, nothing drew me in and the ending couldn't be more obvious. Just as you felt I was obligated to finish it. Lucky for me mine was in the bargain rack as well.
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Elphaba
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Post by Elphaba »

Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay. I thought it was going to be such a great book. Fantasy based on history, war, love - sounded to me like "Song of Ice and Fire" that I loved so much. I was so disappointed. Totally bored. Didn't even finish it.
Lynyrd47
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Post by Lynyrd47 »

Sail by James Patterson. It was the first Patterson novel that I've read. When I looked at the back cover I saw all those #1 bestseller status from different book critics and I thought it was going to be one hell of a read. After reading the novel I was so disappointed I actually thought of tearing the book apart. Thank God there were people around me at that time so I didn't get the chance to do it. Lol.
Carusmm
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Post by Carusmm »

On Rage by Germaine Greer. In truth, Australian aboriginal women have a right to feel betrayed by Greer.
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ParanoidIdealDodo
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Post by ParanoidIdealDodo »

A friend of mine said that the Five People You Meet in Heaven is a good-read but then it killed me to death and so I stopped after meeting the third person... :(
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Elphaba
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Post by Elphaba »

ParanoidIdealDodo wrote:A friend of mine said that the Five People You Meet in Heaven is a good-read but then it killed me to death and so I stopped after meeting the third person... :(
Didn't miss much. I didn't like this book. But I didn't expect to like it, after reading a previous of his, so I didn't include it in this category.
Jp1978
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Post by Jp1978 »

The Catcher in the Rye - I'd heard a lot about how great this book is but I found it unreadable. Holden has to be the one of the most annoying characters in literature.

War and Peace - Tolstoy kills off the character I like to make way for Pierre, who (Is it who or whom?) I dislike. A minor point that for some reason really bothers me.

Crime and Punishment - I did not find the Raskolnikv character to be credible.

Don't flame me. :-)
Carusmm
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Post by Carusmm »

Phases of the Moon, a collection of short stories by Robert Silverberg. He can sell an idea but he can't really tell it. It's his delivery that is the problem, he writes very simply but he lacks a certain madness. The text has a not quite alive quality like he's walking through it. It is difficult to say quite what it is that is wrong in him but something is wrong, of that I am certain. He is perhaps too methodical a person to be a good writer, and I might be being too harsh.
Demosthenes
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Post by Demosthenes »

Bowlie wrote:
Morrosseth wrote:I felt like it was a sappy fantasy book that some teen wrote.
Like Christopher Paolini. :lol: (ducks incoming objects)
OMG...Christopher Paolini...I read Eragon and was like, "How is he not getting sued for plagiarism?" The story was so recycled and the character and names of places were very similar to Lord of the Rings. I get the feeling that Paolini is great to people who don't read much fantasy, but I've had friends that read fantasy that like him. I'm with you though. It was horrible. I couldn't read the books that followed.

Mickytto wrote:I know what you're saying-- I absolutely loved Wizard's First Rule and the next two books in the series I think, but after that it was downhill for me. In fact, I think I am still stuck on Book 4.
I'm reading through the series now. I like it overall, but Kahlan is really getting on my nerves. In Stone of Tears she was awesome, and then in books 3 and 4 Goodkind made her into a whiny, weak woman. What happened?!! I'm told she gets better again and I am hoping so. My friend really likes this series, but I've read better.
Mickytto wrote:For me Bee Season by Myla Goldberg was very disappointing, and I had really high expectations for it.
I had to force myself to finish the movie. The previews looked so good, but the movie was probably the worst movie I've ever seen. It took me two days to watch it because it was torture.
You think Chris ripped off Tolkien? Try Brooks and The Sword of Shannara, eugh.
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