Howdy Folks,
I am an author, and lifelong reader. In my writing circles, the advice, "read bad books," gets thrown around quite a bit. Reasoning being, seeing what other people do wrong helps you avoid it.
I read and critique other writers, but I haven't read much bad writing that made it through the publishing process and was having a tough time finding recommendations on the internet.
That's why I am here. Give me your worst books. Drown me in mediocrity. Kill me with plot holes. I don't care about genre as long as it's fiction.
Thanks!
by Ok-Development-4017
15 Comments
A Little Life – worst book ever. And I know there are fellow haters here 😂
The Mandie stories by Lois Gladys Leppard. They’re for kids, and the writing is terrible.
*Sophie’s World* by Jostein Gaarder. As an intro to Wester philosophy, it’s not bad. As a piece of fiction, it is boring and the main characters are arrogant jerks to the people around them.
It’s low-hanging fruit because it’s middle-grade fiction but Geek Girl by Holly Smale is abysmal and the sequel (that takes place in Japan) doesn’t even try not to be racist at every turn.
Also low-hanging fruit but anything Onision has written.
Ethen Frome by Edith Wharton. It’s short and a classic, but I just hated it so much. Maybe I missed the point.
Perfume
Blindness
The Library at Mount Char
The Changeling
Rabbits
Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
A Tale of Two Cities
Actually, my only real enemies would be people who like these books so maybe it’s a moot point.
(Just kidding, I like you all just fine) 😃
[Ash](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8713500-ash). Terrible! I’d rather read *Twilight* on a bi-monthly basis than touch that piece of crap again.
But also, shout out to the poster who said *A Little Life*. Godawful trauma porn trash.
Undermajordomo Minorl by Patrick deWitt
Weird Gothic tale about horrible people doing unnecessary nasty stuff.
On a Pale Horse. It’s so misogynistic, my enemies would probably love it, and I can’t let them experience that
Probably gonna get hate for this one but, Pillars of the Earth by Terry Goodkind
Farnham’s Freehold by Robert A. Heinlein. It has been called “an anti-racist novel only a Klansman could love.” The characters are terrible and the satire that Heinlein is attempting just doesn’t work.
Normal People
[Shadowmancer by GP Taylor](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/727078.Shadowmancer). It’s absolutely terrible.
Sci-Fi: [First Contact: Escape to 55 Cancri](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8379542-first-contact)
This book is basically a “How To” on how to write insufferable and boring science fiction. It seems like it was written by someone who thinks they’re smarter than they are. There’s a lot of unnecessary technical details towards the start, like reading from a Wikipedia page. Then the smart people take over with super science and solve all the problems with no trouble or even real stakes. The smart people are all world class experts in whatever they do. The smart people are all great leaders and know so much more than world leaders.
The rest of the story is pretty standard B minus grade sci-fi, “Humans outwit the aliens” faire. Again, every thing comes too easily for the humans and there never seems like there’s any real stakes. Human science and the super scientists save the day every time. It’s insufferable and annoying. And if you listen to the audio book, there’s a shitload of problems with it.
Fantasy: [And Eternity](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15424.And_Eternity)
The 7th book in a series that only has two good books in it (Incarnations of Immortality), this books is misogynistic, unpleasant, boring, has an entire plot about an older man having sex with a teenage prostitute. While the premise (finding and replacing God) is a good one, the characters are unlikable, the action is boring, and I hated every minute of reading it. Why’d I finish it? Because I wanted to complete the series. There’s an 8th book apparently, but I’m not reading that shit.
The Art of Racing in the Rain 🤢 I don’t understand how so many people love it! That book is like a gross male wish fulfillment fantasy. I’m not sure how to add spoiler bars, but the way certain issues were treated in the story gave me the biggest ick.