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Steve Hofmeyr? More like Steve Stofsuier if you ask me
The worst book I've ever read has to be Steve Hofmeyr's "book about himself" Mense van my Asem.
I love reading. I buy books all the time and I'm a fast reader. With this, it seemed to be another case entirely. I bought this book a couple of months ago and, oh my goodness, I'm still only on chapter 6. There is just no inspiration for me to read any further. Every time I start reading a page I fall asleep.
Luckily I bought the book for R10 when I joined Leserskring....and even that was too much bloody money...
Maybe I might eventually end up finishing chapter 6 of Steve Stofsuier's crappy book about himself. But right now it seems highly unlikely.
Elana
Putting the insomniac to sleep
Mine has GOT to be Lonesome Dove!
It still amazes me that someone found it interesting enough to make into a movie. Personally I was bored to tears before the end of the first chapter but I soldiered on in much the same way as Tammy, hoping that "something" would eventually happen.
My husband (at the time), gave the book the benefit of one chapter - he had a very interesting one chapter rule where there had to be a theft, or murder, or suicide or a death in order for the book to be "considered" - and happily threw in the towel!
However, I was made of stouter stuff and persevered, determined that my unbroken record of "never NOT finishing a book" would remain intact. I'd managed mountains of Shakespeare for Heaven's sake! Sadly, around page 400 or so, it just became too painful to bear and I had to admit defeat. Spilling coffee on it as I fell asleep, me the chronic insomniac, was the proverbial straw.
When the movie was released I contemplated it, thought back to over 400 pages of boredom and immediately bought a ticket ... for the ANIMATED show next door. Some lessons CAN be learnt!
Toni
Believe it or not…
The worst book I have ever read is a New York Best Seller – Eat, pray, love
I have a real sense of guilt when I do not finish a book, but this book was so bad, that my sense of guilt and responsibility to the author was nowhere to be found. I slogged through just over half of the book and then could simply not lose another minute of my life reading this self-indulgent drivel.
I hated everything about this book but most of what I hated was the author's self congratulations on becoming enlightened. In my opinion, those who are truly enlightened do not write books about it (in order to recover money spent getting enlightened), but rather just quietly get on and live it.
Those who have seen beyond this place and believe they have sat in the hand of God do not talk about it as a personal achievement but strive to use what they know but cannot explain to make the lives of others better. I thought this book was not only badly written – the first lines nearly had me heaving – but it is pointless, arrogant and, as I have said, self indulgent.
I gave my copy away with joy!
Kim
Thin plot and unlikeable characters make for a terrible read
The very worst book that I have EVER read was not long ago – I grabbed it out of our local library in a hurry, and returned it just as quickly. It's The Other Woman, by Jane Green – an appallingly thin plot line, a deeply dislikeable heroine, pages and pages of drivel pertaining to changing babies nappies - it was diabolical.
But I did plod on until the end, because I also have the mindset that one should finish a book, no matter how dire. Towards the middle of the book I was hoping that the baby would expire, the husband would realize what a smug priggish wife he had landed himself with, said wife would hurl herself of a cliff – ANYTHING to break the tedium….but none of the above happened…instead it slunk to a totally predictable conclusion.
How do these people get their books published?
Catherine
Books with predictable genre plots
I don't have a particular book that was the worst, rather a genre.
Here goes the plot:
Girl moves to small town. Girl meets gorgeous hunk with dark past. Girl hates boy, but lusts after him.
Somewhere around the middle of the book girl and boy fall in love and makes love (usually she is still a virgin) About 10 pages after that the gorgeous hunk's dark past comes to light. (Whatever that might be, but not that bad anyway)
Girl is hurt to her core and vows never to speak to him again. Girl and boy are miserable till about 5 pages before the end. Girl and boy make up and he promises never to lie to her again (ha, haven't we all heard that one!)
The end
Cindy
Right it's your turn. What is the worst book you've ever read and why? Tell us in the comment box below.
The worst book I've ever read has to be Steve Hofmeyr's "book about himself" Mense van my Asem.
I love reading. I buy books all the time and I'm a fast reader. With this, it seemed to be another case entirely. I bought this book a couple of months ago and, oh my goodness, I'm still only on chapter 6. There is just no inspiration for me to read any further. Every time I start reading a page I fall asleep.
Luckily I bought the book for R10 when I joined Leserskring....and even that was too much bloody money...
Maybe I might eventually end up finishing chapter 6 of Steve Stofsuier's crappy book about himself. But right now it seems highly unlikely.
Elana
Putting the insomniac to sleep
Mine has GOT to be Lonesome Dove!
It still amazes me that someone found it interesting enough to make into a movie. Personally I was bored to tears before the end of the first chapter but I soldiered on in much the same way as Tammy, hoping that "something" would eventually happen.
My husband (at the time), gave the book the benefit of one chapter - he had a very interesting one chapter rule where there had to be a theft, or murder, or suicide or a death in order for the book to be "considered" - and happily threw in the towel!
However, I was made of stouter stuff and persevered, determined that my unbroken record of "never NOT finishing a book" would remain intact. I'd managed mountains of Shakespeare for Heaven's sake! Sadly, around page 400 or so, it just became too painful to bear and I had to admit defeat. Spilling coffee on it as I fell asleep, me the chronic insomniac, was the proverbial straw.
When the movie was released I contemplated it, thought back to over 400 pages of boredom and immediately bought a ticket ... for the ANIMATED show next door. Some lessons CAN be learnt!
Toni
Believe it or not…
The worst book I have ever read is a New York Best Seller – Eat, pray, love
I have a real sense of guilt when I do not finish a book, but this book was so bad, that my sense of guilt and responsibility to the author was nowhere to be found. I slogged through just over half of the book and then could simply not lose another minute of my life reading this self-indulgent drivel.
I hated everything about this book but most of what I hated was the author's self congratulations on becoming enlightened. In my opinion, those who are truly enlightened do not write books about it (in order to recover money spent getting enlightened), but rather just quietly get on and live it.
Those who have seen beyond this place and believe they have sat in the hand of God do not talk about it as a personal achievement but strive to use what they know but cannot explain to make the lives of others better. I thought this book was not only badly written – the first lines nearly had me heaving – but it is pointless, arrogant and, as I have said, self indulgent.
I gave my copy away with joy!
Kim
Thin plot and unlikeable characters make for a terrible read
The very worst book that I have EVER read was not long ago – I grabbed it out of our local library in a hurry, and returned it just as quickly. It's The Other Woman, by Jane Green – an appallingly thin plot line, a deeply dislikeable heroine, pages and pages of drivel pertaining to changing babies nappies - it was diabolical.
But I did plod on until the end, because I also have the mindset that one should finish a book, no matter how dire. Towards the middle of the book I was hoping that the baby would expire, the husband would realize what a smug priggish wife he had landed himself with, said wife would hurl herself of a cliff – ANYTHING to break the tedium….but none of the above happened…instead it slunk to a totally predictable conclusion.
How do these people get their books published?
Catherine
Books with predictable genre plots
I don't have a particular book that was the worst, rather a genre.
Here goes the plot:
Girl moves to small town. Girl meets gorgeous hunk with dark past. Girl hates boy, but lusts after him.
Somewhere around the middle of the book girl and boy fall in love and makes love (usually she is still a virgin) About 10 pages after that the gorgeous hunk's dark past comes to light. (Whatever that might be, but not that bad anyway)
Girl is hurt to her core and vows never to speak to him again. Girl and boy are miserable till about 5 pages before the end. Girl and boy make up and he promises never to lie to her again (ha, haven't we all heard that one!)
The end
Cindy
Right it's your turn. What is the worst book you've ever read and why? Tell us in the comment box below.
