Thursday, August 13, 2009

Booking Through Thursday: Bad Books

|
A weekly question to provoke discussion—it's time for Booking Through Thursday!

This week's question is...

What's the worst book you've read recently?

This is easy. My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult. I'd read two Jodi Picoult books prior to this one. Her books are very formulaic, but they still keep me entertained [as long as you don't read one after the other; they're so similar that they bleed together]. They all deal with the grey areas of law and relationships, creating a gripping plot. They're so well researched that I feel like I learn something as I read. This one, though...ugh. The majority of the novel was fine, but the end angered me so much that I threw the book across the room. I don't know if I've ever read a book in which the ending ruined the entire novel for me, but I hated it that much. It was just so clichĂ©, unbelievable, and unnecessary. UGH.

I know the ending was changed for the movie, but I haven't seen it. I'm curious, nonetheless.


Have you read/seen My Sister's Keeper? What do you think about it? 

What's the worst book you've recently read?

16 comments:

Rebecca said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Amy said...

I agree! I thought the book was terrible. Not sure if I can stomach the movie. . .

Kari said...

Haha, the trailer was pretty, but no. I know too much!

Susan said...

Really? I read it a few years ago and really liked it! It was my first Picoult book, and although the ending was really sad, I liked the book overall. I haven't seen the movie, but I want to.

I chose The Reader by Bernhard Schlink as my most recent bad book. You can check out my thoughts here.

gautami tripathy said...

Salem Falls is much better!

Booking through recent worst

Brooke from The Bluestocking Guide said...

Wow! I've never read Jodi Piccoult. Here is mine

Salvatore said...

My cousin had the same reaction to My Sister's Keeper and now vows never to read Picoult again. Which is pretty huge.

Worst book I ever read is something difficult to come by, as I usually put it down if it is that bad. But one of my favourite authors, VS Naipaul - his last book, Magic Seeds was a ridiculous disappointment. Not a good way to end a fiction writing career. It was hackneyed, dry, and uninteresting, descriptions I hitherto would never use to talk about Naipaul's oeuvre.

Allison said...

I LOVED My Sister's Keeper. I thought it was very well written and it kept my attention (although incredibly depressing).

I also threw my book when I reached the end out of anger.

Kari said...

Allison - Ha, maybe you are a more mature person than I so as not to let the ending ruin in the whole book for you!

JoAnn said...

I thought the audio version of My Sister's Keeper was very well done.

Anonymous said...

I could almost see the ending coming, which is what got me annoyed. Didn't think it would actually pan out like that.

I did really enjoy the book though - thought it was well-written, and albeit slightly manipulative, gripping.

Anonymous said...

I could almost see the ending coming, which is what got me annoyed. Didn't think it would actually pan out like that.

I did really enjoy the book though - thought it was well-written, and albeit slightly manipulative, gripping.

colin said...

You can read my review of EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE on this website. I was a few years late reading that one, but I still wasn't impressed.

Alaine said...

Saw your blog over at J. Kaye's and thought I'd drop in and say hi.

I hated the movie (My Sister's Keeper) but didn't mind the book even though it was very sad. I would choose The Gargoyle for the same reason, the ending!

Alexia561 said...

Have to agree with you that you can't read Jodi's books back to back, but I remember liking My Sister's Keeper. Thought it was a sad story, but actually liked the ending. Didn't think it was predictable at all. Nice to see other viewpoints on this, and it's been awhile since I've thrown a book in anger! *L*

Jodi is a very talented writer, but I have to agree that she can sometimes be a little manipulative.

Kari said...

Alexia - The ending surprised me as well, but once I read it, it just seemed so predictably unpredictable, if that makes any sense. Like, I should've known something crazy was going to happen at the end.