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The Most Whackest Books

eyez0nme

eyez0nme

New Member
What do you consider the most overrated books, the majority of the population generally love, but you absolutely dislike, even hate? You just can't understand why people are raving about it:

1. The Da Vinci Code
2. A Million Little Pieces
3. Prey
4. Eldest
5. People You Meet In Heaven
6. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
7. Cell
8. 1984
9. In Cold Blood
10. Catcher in the Rye
11. Lord of the Flies
12. Faranheit 451
13. The Lovely Bones
 
I agree with some of your selections, particularly The Five People You Meet in Heaven, Yawwnnn!!! I'm surprised by Catcher in the Rye, one I love. What about the book did you dislike so much?

Another "over loved" book I'll add is Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. IMO not that enjoyable, but read by millions.
 
Blindness by Jose Saramago, The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum and Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. To be fair I stopped reading the last two at the halfway mark, so they could have gotten better, I guess - I just found them too boring, and in TBI's case, too repetitive.
 
Hmm...I liked 6 of the books on your list! ^^ Didn't absolutely LOVE any of them except for Fahrenheit 451. How can you hate a book like that? It was so cool to watch someone discover literature for the first time, and Bradbury did an amazing job with it.
But anyway, I thought these were terribly overrated:
The Oddyssey by Homer
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
 
I can kind of see why people rate Virginia Woolf, but after reading Orlando, To the Lighthouse, Mrs Dalloway and some short stories I have to say I just don't get the appeal myself...
 
I don't think that I would call any books the 'most whackest,' because I think most books, including many of those mentioned here, mean something to someone, and just because I don't understand, relate to, or appreciate them doesn't make them the most whackest books. I don't feel that I have the right to judge which books have merit and which don't, so I think I'll pass. :cool:
 
Uh- There are definitely good books and bad books, just like there is horrible music and great music. You can certainly pick and choose which sucks and which is amazing. To not have an opinion about something like that sort of reflects the concepts and ideas in which one takes from what they have read or listened to etc. BUT ANYWAY-
I think Mitch Albom's books should always go on the top of that list, his books are for people who think they're open minded enough to see what's out there in the world, yet stick to feel good books; books about certainty. Although I don't like Fahrenheit 451 (the ending for me destroyed it), I don't think that's the worst. And I liked The Lovely Bones as well, except for the latter half of it.
My list would include Chuck Palahnuik books, but I'm sure a lot of people would disagree. He reuses phrases and words in all of his books, and while one book might be the most original novel in a long time, he can't seem to get past that one idea. Also.. they're way too far fetched.
 
KBomb_reads said:
Uh- There are definitely good books and bad books, just like there is horrible music and great music. You can certainly pick and choose which sucks and which is amazing. To not have an opinion about something like that sort of reflects the concepts and ideas in which one takes from what they have read or listened to etc.
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If you were directing this at me, then I should say that this is all a matter of opinion. I hate rap. This does not make rap horrible music. There are books that I like and books that I don't like. There are books that I think are overrated, and books that I think were underrated. However, I wouldn't call any book "whack" because just because I don't like it doesn't make it "whack." I do have opinions. Very strong opinions, at that. But I would rather talk about books I love than books I hate.

Out of the books on eyez0nme's post, I have only read three of the books: The Da Vinci Code, Fahrenheit 451, and Catcher in the Rye. Of those, I loved the latter two and didn't enjoy the former for the poor literary quality. However, I will refrain from referring to it as "whack."
 
That's the question.. which do you prefer, which do you not.. which are over rated, which are not. "Whack"... doesn't really signify a deeper meaning than that of "sucks" or "bad."
 
"Whack," by definition, is not used in its correct context here. I tend to be a stickler for English usage. I don't find any books bad though, because it all relative. There are books that are poorly written, and books that are well written. It is hard to generalize an entire book as good or bad because there are so many components to make a book good: a competent writer, and engaging plot, three-dimensional characters, etc. Missing any of these components may turn a book from a great book to a terrible book, in general opinion.

Books that I believe are overrated then, if you would like to know, are:
  • The Da Vinci Code
  • Harry Potter books (I've read the first three)
  • Eragon
  • Pride and Prejudice
  • Artemis Fowl (read only the first)
  • A Walk to Remember
The above are just a few. I don't believe that they are all bad, or whack, but I think they have recieved more credit than they deserve.
What was so bad about the ending to Fahnrenheit 451? I actually liked it, because it allowed the reader to draw his/her own conclusions because there was still remaining hope, while still pointing out the devastating effects of censorship.
 
eyez0nme said:
What do you consider the most overrated books, the majority of the population generally love, but you absolutely dislike, even hate? You just can't understand why people are raving about it:

3. Prey
6. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
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Those two deserve their praise in my opinion.

One of your selections, Cell, is hardly overrated though. If anything underrated, I don't think I've read a single praise review for the book. But it was at least decent... once again IMO.
 
veggiedog said:
"Whack," by definition, is not used in its correct context here. I tend to be a stickler for English usage. I don't find any books bad though, because it all relative. There are books that are poorly written, and books that are well written. It is hard to generalize an entire book as good or bad because there are so many components to make a book good: a competent writer, and engaging plot, three-dimensional characters, etc. Missing any of these components may turn a book from a great book to a terrible book, in general opinion.
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Don't waste your time trying to point out the basic courteous English usage expectations of the majority of users on this forum, for your posts will be deleted without explanation.

For what it's worth, I agree entirely. Threads like these are "whacker" than any of the books mentioned in them.
 
Heh, I love so many of these listed, especially Fahrenheit 451 and Pride and Prejudice.

I think most of the Oprah bookclub picks have been overrated.
 
Really? I've liked a lot of the Oprah Picks, maybe that should be listed as my guilty pleasure:eek: :D
 
Ronny said:
Really? I've liked a lot of the Oprah Picks, maybe that should be listed as my guilty pleasure:eek: :D
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Tolstoy, Faulkner, Steinbeck and Wiesel are nothing to feel guilty about.
 
bluecaffeine said:
Heh, I love so many of these listed, especially Fahrenheit 451
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Me too. A lot of subjectivity here. We're all different and have different tastes. One thing about this forum is that it has expanded my list in many different directions in which it may not have normally gone. On my own I have a tendancy to get tunnel vision. Now I find I'm reading classics, non fiction, and contemporary novels, simply based on what others are reading and have suggested.

Nevertheless there are definitely some overrated books out there and Oprah can definitely push a mediocre read to the top of the Must Read chart of millions of readers. She can also pick some excellent ones.
 
I love Fahrenheit 451... sorry- just had to say that. The only overrated book I can think of right now is The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards. It's an interesting story, but I don't see why it's managed to become so popular.
 
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