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One that I read is Night, by Elie Wiesel. My son had to read it in highschool, and then I picked it up and read it.

I know it is important to never forget those times, but it still haunts me to this day. And I read it 15 years ago.

Before I got older and wiser, I would always finish a book. I can't say I ever wish I could unread a book, but I did wonder why I wasted my time. Now I give a book 100 pages and if I don't like it, I close it and return it to the library.

I remember reading "Night" a very long time ago. I think the fact that it has stayed with you so long is indicative of how good a book it really was. While it may haunt you, as you said, it is important to never forget those times.

Usually it's movies for me.

I'd have to say Torn Asunder though. I refuse to take ANY blame for this mess I'm on here for.

Bungalow 13 by Danielle Steele. Horrible, Horrible, horrible...No idea why i continued to waste my time. I don't even think SHE actually wrote it.

Once when trapped in the car for hours with only my W's book, I read something by Laurell K. Hamilton. OMG. Horrible. Terrible terrible terrible. It was during the "Anita Blake must have sex 300 times per day in order to survive" phase, and it was stupid and awful. I understand from W and others that her earlier Anita Blake books are much better. Alas, that one was so ghastly that I have no desire to try any more of them.

Terrible.

I apologize to all the Anita Blake/Laurell K. Hamilton fans out there.

ETA: I thought the idea of short-term revival of dead people to testify in trials was a really cool idea, though.

[This message edited by Crossbow at 8:40 PM, December 21st (Tuesday)]

Now that is one thing I never regret, reading a book!

Although I will say Beach Music by Pat Conroy made me feel angry and emotionally manipulated. It was stylistically a strong novel, but I just didn't TRUST Conroy, if you KWIM.

And Nicholas Sparks, awful, sappy, sentimental TRASH that I actually did stop reading. If I recall, I threw that book across the room! Blech!

Other than that, I can't think of any books I wish I hadn't read. And I'm glad to have the cultural experience of them, anyway. Is that weird?

Eighteen Acres by Nicolle Wallace.

It was about the first female president which, in itself, sounded interesting.

However, the way infidelity was handled in th story was absolutely ridiculous. Laughable, even.

The book was poorly written, overall. Complete dreck.

Now I give a book 100 pages and if I don't like it, I close it and return it to the library.

That just covers the opening paragraph describing the forest in Ivanhoe.

It was during the "Anita Blake must have sex 300 times per day in order to survive" phase, and it was stupid and awful.

I do not have the words to describe how much I hate Anita Blake. Worse than this is the phase where she spends all that time *negotiating* about sex. Page after page of talking about how when everybody has group sex who gets to lie between who and touch what and how, and why exactly is this unimpressive unfunny mortal bitch calling all the shots? One would think that 500 year old vampires would not have to *ask this bitch's permission* to fuck somebody they were fucking for 475 years before they even MET THIS BITCH.

I swear if it weren't for Asher and his Husky-blue eyes and his beautifully disfigured gorgeousness and the faint hope that someday someone will hire Edward to kill Anita and he'll succeed I would burn down her publishing house. As it is I do not read them anymore but keep my ear to the ground just in case Edward takes her out.

It is kind of hilarious that her idea of character differentiation amongst the dozens of guys in her harem is just a matrix of height, hair color, and eye color. I think she must keep a spreadsheet. Have I used 5'10, mahogany, and emerald green together yet? No? BRAND NEW UNIQUE CHARACTER! Then you get to her Merry Gentry books where the men are all fae or various gods and she hits upon the brilliant idea of having *concentric irises*. So now we get much more *complicated* eyes. Deep, deep, I know.

For me, it's Wicked I thought the story could have been told so much better than it was. I was so disappointed.

I've been having a lot of trouble reading the self-help books that I see recommended here on SI; not that they are not helpful, but it seems that the authors take 5x as long to make their point as is needed. The books would be much shorter (and I guess make less money for them) but they'd at least be succinct.

[This message edited by Sad in AZ at 12:17 PM, December 22nd (Wednesday)]

Allison Weir's Captive Queen. I made it to page 100-ish. Holy cow, what a cluster. I really enjoy her histories and historical biographies. But this? Historical fiction mangled to read like some paperback bodice-ripper. Sweet baby Gertrude.

I actually was angry at the book. It's on the shelf right now, next to the fireplace. I plan to burn it.

Thomas Harris' novel "Red Dragon

I thought this was so evil I threw it in the trash. I didn't even want it in my house.

The Midnight Road by Tom Piccirilli.

God Lord what a mess of a book.

Since I sell books for a living I try to read a little bit of everything so I can honestly recommend things to customers.

This books was just nuts.

The character was nuts, the plot was nuts, the author is obviously nuts and at the end I decided I was nuts for reading the darn thing.

I am sure I am going to get crucified for this... but any of the Twilight saga.

I tried. I really, really tried. But it was such trash, poorly written, obvious, etc. I just couldn't do it. In fact, I was angry when I put the book down and wanted to be reimbursed for my time.

Much like I felt after leaving the movie "Joe vs. the Volcano."

Stroppy, Stephanie Meyers' writing was crap, although I thought her characters were more interesting than her awful writing style deserved. That said, it improved somewhat as she kept writing long books. Her depiction of depression in the second book was actually pretty good - sounded like she'd been there herself.

And the last of the Twilight books I flat-out hated.

LadyV, I thought Anita Blake was a real bitch too. And I got freaked out at how all the guys she wanted to screw had hair down to their butts. All of them? Had the same hairstyle? Just weird.

I am guilty of always finishing a book too.

I always think it will get better.

The worst book I ever read I truly do not remember the name bc I have blocked it out.

One I do remember hating was Jonathan Franzen's the Corrections. There was so much talk about it when it came out and I thought it was awful.

Oh, and I always finish a book.

If it gets intolerable I will skim the last part of it but I HAVE to finish it.

Pretty much half of the books I had to read in English classes for Jr. High and High School. Oh wait, I didn't actually read most of them.

To this day I have no idea what The Stone Angel was about, or if I even read it, but I somehow managed a passing grade on the essay.

I honestly believe that school took the joy out of reading.

Flowers in the Attic. I was forbidden to read this book as a teen and therefore, being a teen, it was the very next book I got my hands on and read by flashlight in the middle of the night... and I hated every bit of it.

I am an "always finish the book" person, but truly the Alison Weir one was too bad.

Books that seriously impacted me in some way that I wish I'd never read... I've been thinking about this. Lord of the Flies tops the list. I honestly didn't see anything redeeming in it as a student when I had to read it, and I see less in it now as an adult. I had Piggy-related nightmares for a long while, and it didn't really add anything to what I already knew and understood about human nature.

I can't really think of any other books, so I guess there's not really a list to top.

I'm going to go start a t/j thread on "Books you wish you could re-read if only you knew the author/title." This will be a totally self-serving thread because I have a couple different ones that are driving me bonkers.