Booking Through Thursday – Recent Worst
13Aug09
Today’s Booking Through Thursday asks: What’s the worst book you’ve read recently?
This one is really easy for me, as I just finished writing one of my most negative reviews for this year. I won’t beat around the bush, or faff around, building it up, but I’ll just say it: Chris Cleave’s The Other Hand was one of the most annoying books I’ve read in a long long long time.
I know loads of you have the best things to say about this book, so I’d really like to know how unfair you think I’m being. I did read the book with an open mind, and I was really excited to read it, but, the excitement just waned, and while I did finish the book, I was less than impressed.
PS: To find out more about my thoughts on this book, click here. Thanks.
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another cookie crumbles 
What were some of the things that annoyed you about the book? Very curious!
I haven’t read the book and would love to hear why the book was so annoying to you!
And I see this book everywhere!
Booking through recent worst
You guys can check out my review here.
@gautami : and most people loved it, despite cringing ever-so-slightly at the marketing tactics. I feel like I’m in the minority (singularity). :(
Thanks, I’ll pass on the book I never heard of until now.
The cover’s blurb is the publisher’s idiotic notion of marketing. Same with the editor by writing that stupid introduction.
As to your first aggravation, unless people are living in huts in areas untouched by “civilization” they’ve probably heard of U2. Music is universal and travels, while the ideas of having certain furnishings do not. In the Philippines, there are still families whose outhouse consists of two boards over a big hole.
Fair enough – I found that entire section of the book quite patronizing. Maybe I’m overreacting.
Also, there used to be a time I was in love with U2, but, that’s all in the past now, and Bono does annoy me a bit now-a-days, so… that might have something to do with it as well. Oh well – they still have some great songs, with Walk On being one of my favorites.
I’ve a couple of their old albums and the last one I bought was a Best Of back in the nineties. Otherwise, I find their current music too commercial for my taste.
I have two candidates for worst recent book; Malcolm Gladwell’s Blink and Phillipa Gregory’s A Respectable Trade. They were both chosen by my book group, from a list supplied by the library. It’s a gamble; sometimes you read wonderful books you never would have dreamt of reading, and sometimes it doesn’t work out at all like that…
I haven’t read any Phillipa Gregory yet, although a couple of people have recommended The Other Queen to me. Blink – just the cover annoys me!
Always nice when the gamble pays off :)
@Mish : Blah, this template only allows three nested comments. I concur about their current music being too commercial. They’re touring in London at the moment, and one of my friends went to the concert, and said it was so pseudo-political, that it was embarrassing.
I’d like to see them at least once in concert, but at the same time not so much. Part of why I like their older stuff is because it is political.