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May
28
BTT: Unread
2009 at 8am Posted by Rebecca Joines Schinsky
In the perfect follow-up to last week’s question, as suggested by C in DC: Is there a book that you wish you could “unread”? One that you disliked so thoroughly you wish you could just forget that you ever read it?
My gut response to this was “No! Are you kidding me? If a book were that bad, I wouldn’t have finished it in the first place.” Ah, the joys of subscribing to Nancy Pearl’s oh-so-wise Rule of 50. Let’s take a moment to remind ourselves:
If you’re fifty years old or younger, give every book about fifty pages before you decide to commit yourself to reading it, or give it up. If you’re over fifty, which is when time gets even shorter, subtract your age from 100. The result is the number of pages you should read before deciding.
So as I read this morning’s question, I took a sip of coffee and basked in the warm glow of knowing I had never read a book that was so completely awful that I wish I could unread it. My reverie lasted all of ten seconds.
And then I remembered Twilight.
And New Moon.
And Eclipse.
And Breaking Dawn.
I’ve done more than my fair share of ranting about these books (as evidenced by the fact that one of my most popular search terms is “Stephenie Meyer can’t write”), so this probably comes as no surprise to many of you.
(Is she really talking about how bad the Twilight books are again?)
Yes, she is. Because she had to read them for work—when planning a book release party and teen book group, it helps to know something about the books—and she is still recovering from the awesome badness.
That being said, I’m not entirely sure that I would unread them because I am glad to know what they’re all about and to have formed my own opinion about them. I’m glad I know what to say when parents asks me if I think the series is appropriate for their eleven year old daughter or if the books are actually as clean as everyone says they are. I usually don’t go along with the idea of reading the bestsellers just to know what everyone’s talking about, but in this case, it made some sense to me.
So I guess my answer is still no, there aren’t any books I wish I could unread entirely.
How about you?
No related posts.
Any book I’ve read by Jodi Picoult, which I only did because of real-life book clubs (and Picoult is what finally drove me to quit said clubs). Also, The Dive from Clausen’s Pier, which I threw across the room when I finished it and left it sitting there until the dog started to chew on it. Even if I didn’t like it, I still couldn’t let a dog eat it.
I don’t care for Jodi Picoult, either, but I’ve only read one of her books (Nineteen Minutes), and while I didn’t like it, I don’t think it was completely awful. Won’t be reading her (or letting my new book club choose her) again, though. I liked The Dive from Clausen’s Pier…sorry to hear it was a wallbanger for you.
I don’t care for Jodi Picoult, either, but I’ve only read one of her books (Nineteen Minutes), and while I didn’t like it, I don’t think it was completely awful. Won’t be reading her (or letting my new book club choose her) again, though. I liked The Dive from Clausen’s Pier…sorry to hear it was a wallbanger for you.
I don’t care for Jodi Picoult, either, but I’ve only read one of her books (Nineteen Minutes), and while I didn’t like it, I don’t think it was completely awful. Won’t be reading her (or letting my new book club choose her) again, though. I liked The Dive from Clausen’s Pier…sorry to hear it was a wallbanger for you.
I have never read Twilight or any of the others….everyone was so hyped up about them, saying how good they were. Now I can stop worrying about being one of a million people that doesn’t want to read that series.
Ditto about Picoult. I really like ONE of her books…Salem Falls. Since reading that, I have TRIED to read others by her but I just can’t get interested in them.
I like your point about being able to give an informed opinion to customers. Great comment.
I didn’t have any I just wished I could ‘unread,’ but there are books that, after I finished them, I wished I could have my time back.
When I look back at some of my young adult reading habits (okay, I’ll confess: I read Danielle Steel), my main regret is having wasted time of books so much alike that I had to mark an X on the cover to be sure I didn’t read again.
Sometimes I also read a book just to be able to talk about it to others. I read the first Twilight book because I was teaching a class of middle school and high school girls, and I wanted to know what they were talking about. I did not love the book, and I haven’t felt compelled the read the others, but II did earn a lot of credibility with the fourteen and fifteen-year-olds.
Often I use audiobooks to be able to talk books that I don’t necessarily find keeping me up past midnight. Even the most mediocre usually beats morning radio talk.
I had the same problem with Breaking Dawn, I had to keep reading (not because of professional obligation, but because of a compulsion to finish the series), and then I found that I actually hated all of the series (which I thought that I’d loved), but BD brought to light all the problems that I’d been sweeping under the carpet. Thanks for reminding me. Great post.
I still haven’t read any of the Twilight series even though they are all sitting on my shelves.
I still haven’t read any of the Twilight series even though they are all sitting on my shelves.
I still haven’t read any of the Twilight series even though they are all sitting on my shelves.
Hello! Fellow BTT participant here. You’re going to wanna hit me for this, but while I do agree that Meyer can’t write worth a peanut, I found the books fun to read.
::hides behind counter for protection::
He writing is poor, the last book even had typos all over it, the stories are not genius or anything, but they were FUN to read. I guess it has to do with the fact that I was taking upper division 15 credits in school that semester and maybe my need for something mind dumbing rather than stimulating made me appreciate the books more than I should have… Who knows.
In any case, your job rocks my socks! I wish I could put together book release parties.
I’ve not been tempted to read any of the Twilight series, but as a bookseller, you were probably wise to work your way through them for information’s sake alone.
I never really wish a book unread, but sometimes books disturb or upset me enough that I’d like to erase their images from my memory!
I haven’t encountered something that is irredeemably bad. Books that I want to “unread” are ones written by authors whose previous reads I have enjoyed. Sometimes they just have a bad day I guess. I would like to defy time and start over again with another book.
I read the Twlight series because my kids were but I did a lot of eye rolling. I’ve always followed the 50 page rule!
I read the Twlight series because my kids were but I did a lot of eye rolling. I’ve always followed the 50 page rule!
I read the Twlight series because my kids were but I did a lot of eye rolling. I’ve always followed the 50 page rule!
Couldn’t finish Twilight. And I feel a rant coming on every time I think of the series. I have been openly critical of this series. I think I have finally worn out my displeasure.
I should add that I did put the book on our community library shelf, but I never recommend it. Without any feedback, I show a girl where it is.