Okay, okay, so everyone knows who loves what but waht do people hate?

Which books are so bad you hated them? Which books were so bad you couldn't even finish them?

The Unconsoled by Kazuo Ishiguro is one that gets my vote. My brother bought it for me for Christmas and yeah it looks great has a fantastic title. All the blurbs promised a fantastic 'mesmerising' read (but don't they all) But after trying to get into it three times the only thing I was is inconsolable!

Come on lets 'ave em what are they and why?

Surely there is no such thing as a bad book.

There may be books which you dont like either because you don't like the style, the story, the subject the cover,you don't understand the plot, you dont like the author it evokes bad memories in you, from say school or an unpleasant experience, or whatever other reason(s) people have for disliking a book.

As for having a worst book this seems to rank with the 100 best fervor that TV companies are beset with at present.

How can you judge the best or worst of something when the criteria is one of subjectivity.

But we do know that really badly written stuff gets published, so are they not what you could describe as bad books?

but they are only bad in your opinion obviously not in the opinion of the author or the publisher as I say most critique is subjective.

Van Gogh obvioulsy painted lousy pictures because nobody wished to buy them when he was alive he only sold one. Thus one presumes his pictures were thought of at the time as poor or bad now I may not like them but people are apparently prepared to pay millions for them so were they bad or good totally subjective and it is the same with any art form

I have to confess, I could not get through The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy. I tried.... and I tried... not sure if I'd describe it as bad, just so dense and dull that I gave up the will to live in the end.

Anna - in reference to another thread here, that's a book that sold a lot on it's title I reckon.

Yes, I'd say that's true... but then I'm equally sure lots of people love that book and will defend it as good. Having said that, and this is relevant, if a book gets massively hyped, I'm almost weighted towards disliking it because I feel I've been told I must like it.. and if I don't, it's me not 'getting it'... Hmm.

I agree with that Anna, Captain C's mandolin and White Teeth, were a couple I just didn't take up with. God of Small Things has certain obscurities in it, strangely written I'd say, but rather unique.

I bought a book up in a charity shop t'other day mainly 'cos someone had scrawled in ink 'RUBBISH!' (and signed it, bizzarely). It was 'The Candy Man' by a fellow called Vincent King, and I think it's quite excellent! ...Though when I think about it, any argument contrary to that would probably be justifiable... *harrumphs*

My sentence structure smelled a bit there, but you get the idea.

Aint life aand opinon difficult to fathom.

by coincidence in my evening writing class the subject of books came up and White Teeth was one book which was subject to a reasonable amount of discussion, I have never read it so can't really comment other than to say the overwhelming opinion of those that had read it was that it was brilliant.oh well what can you say?

Having said that, and this is relevant, if a book gets massively hyped, I'm almost weighted towards disliking it because I feel I've been told I must like it.. and if I don't, it's me not 'getting it'... Hmm

So, not a Harry Potter fan then?

The following is the beginning of 'The God of Small Things' by Arundhati Roy

May in Ayemenem is a hot, brooding month. The days are long and humid. The river shrinks and black crows gorge on bright mangoes in still, dustgreen trees. Red bananas ripen. Jackfruits burst. Dissolute bluebottles hum vacuously in the fruity air. Then they stun themselves agains clear windowpanes and die, fatly baffled in the sun. The nights are clear but suffused with sloth and sullen expectation. But by early June the south-west monsoon breaks and ther are three months of wind and water with short spells of sharp, glittering sunshine that thrilled children snatch to play with. The countryside turns an immodest green. Boundaries blur as tapioca fences take root and bloom. Brick walls turn mossgreen. Pepper vines snake up electric poles. Wild creepers burst through laterite banks and spill across the flooded roads. Boats ply in the bazaars. And small fish appear in the puddles that fill the PWD potholes on the highways.

Although this isn't my favourite book ever, I still liked it when it came out. I bought it even before all the main hype had started. So why did I buy it? I was intrigued about her - half Bengali, half South Indian, with the name of the goddess of herbal plants. She grew up in a pickle factory and lived in the slums for a while, and so I figured that perhaps she noticed things that might resonate with me. Pickles are very close to many Asian hearts, and for me the aromatics in people's lives are really important. Even though I grew up in this country, I could instantly relate to the exert above with its sensory textures. I think, though self-indulgently sad at times, I can see why so many people bought it. I don't think it was dull at all really. Though winning the Booker Prize in 1998 may have been a bit excessive. And did get up a lot of people's noses at the time.

So what is my worst book ever? Don't know.

Probably the one I tried to write when I was 10 years old.

Insane- I have to fess up that I haven't even tried Harry Potter, probably because either I would hate it and seethe, or love it and then become obssessed. So, no... but it's true the totally OTT hype has put me off for life now anyway, after seeing pics of tots up at midnight, crying with tiredness.

Jibunessa- hmm, maybe I'll revisit the God of Small Things. It's so much to do with the mood/frame of mind/ etc when you start a book, isn't it?

Yes, It's all subjective, but we can still express an opinion.

For me, someone gave me Faye Kellermans 'Stalker' to read and I just couldn't finish it. I thought the whole thing stank of a 'made for TV' movie and so cliche. The writing style wasn't too bad, but by page 200, I decided I didn't give a flying monkeys about the main characters.

I just read the last Harry Potter. Bah. It rates as one of the most boring books I've ever read. Literally, 100, 000 words too long, of complete drivel, and as formulaic as Pop Idol.

Both books were hugely successful bestsellers, so it just goes to show you how subjective this medium is.