Top Ten Tuesday

The following books didn't live up to my reading expectation.

1. Ghostwalk by Rebecca Stott

This sounded like a novel with a great story line. It ended up being a lot different then what I thought it was going to be. I didn't like it much because of how the story unfolded. Nor did I like the ending.

2. Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

I'd heard how great this memoir was by other readers. Yes, I enjoyed the concept of this memoir, but didn't like how Elizabeth Gilbert wrote about her experience.

I can honestly say that I enjoyed the movie version of this book so much better than the book itself, which is a first for me. I usually can't stand the movie version of any book I've read.

3. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

Okay, umm, I'm aware that The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is extraordinarily popular with readers. Curious about this novel, I wanted to see what all the fuss was surrounding this novel. After reading The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, I can't figure out what readers see in this novel. Nothing personal folks, I just didn't enjoy reading The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

4. Rasputin's Daughter by Robert Alexander

I read Robert Alexander's book The Kitchen Boy, which is a novel about the last Tsar of Russia. I thoroughly loved reading The Kitchen Boy as it is well written and also because I enjoy reading novels that pertain to Russia. 

So, I decided to read Rasputin's Daughter thinking it would be just  as well written. I couldn't have been more disappointed with Rasputin's Daughter. It just wasn't as well written or at least wasn't that captivating.

5. Holidays On Ice by David Sedaris

I've read other books by David Sedaris and loved his wit and humor. Holidays On Ice was way too dark, bleak and negative for my taste.

6. The Old Man & the Sea by Ernest Hemingway

Okay, I realize that I'm treading dangerously here by admitting publicly that The Old Man & the Sea didn't live up to the hype for me personally. 

Yes, I think Mr. Hemingway is an amazing writer and there's a reason he one the Nobel Prize for his contributions to the literary world. 

The Old Man & the Sea is a good story and I loved the imagery, but Ernest Hemingway's writing style does nothing to capture and keep my interest. I do not have the urge to read anything else he's written. I've tried to read a couple of his other works, but found them unable to keep my attention.

7. The House of Sand & Fog by Andre Dubus III

I still can't figure why some people like this novel so much. I purchased and read this novel when the Oprah Show had made it their book club selection. It sounded like an intriguing story filled with interesting characters and plot twists.

I found both the characters, their actions and the story line to be extremely irritating. There wasn't a single character I liked in this novel. I thought the leading character was an idiot, not worthy of any sympathy what so ever.

8. Cane River by Lalita Tademy

This book was another Oprah Book Club selection. The first half of Cane River was slow in my opinion, so I stopped reading this book because it didn't keep my interest. 

I finally finished reading Cane River because of all the praise this novel had received. I will readily admit that the second half of the novel was a lot better than the first half, but I was still disappointed with this novel because a book should be (for the most part) engaging from start to finish. 

9. House of Women by Lynn Freed

I learned about this novel from O Magazine several years ago. The product description on the inside cover of this novel sounded like this book would make a wonderful read. I couldn't have been more wrong. The characters and story weren't to my liking and kind of bizzare. This book was disappointing to say the least for me anyway.

10. Thirty-Three Swoons by Martha Cooley

This book had good reviews online, so I purchased and read this book based on both the reviews and the book description on the back cover. The first few pages of Thirty-Three Swoons were awesome, but it went down hill fast after that for me. Thirty-Three Swoons just wasn't that fulfilling.