Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl. Top Ten Tuesday was originally created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.
Over the years I've read books by famous authors (or maybe not so famous authors) that I didn't end up enjoying. These novels turned me off in some way that I decided I preferred to not read another book written by the author again in the future.
1. Douglas Adams - I read The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. This book seems to have a cult like following that apparently I am not in tune with. Let's just say this novel just wasn't my thing and leave it at that.
2. Ernest Hemingway - I read The Old Man & The Sea. I also tried reading Islands in the Stream on several occasions. Oh boy, I didn't find either book appealing.
3. William Faulkner - I read either As I Laying Dying or The Sound & the Fury for a college English class decades ago. I have no idea what Faulkner was trying to say in his novel. I found his writing painful to read at the time.
4. Philipp Meyer - I read his novel, The Son, a few years ago for a book club. Although I didn't dislike this novel, it felt lacking some how. It just didn't meet my expectations.
5. Mario Vargas Llosa - I read his novel In Praise of the Stepmother. What an odd novel. It was creepy.
6. Helen Oyeyemi - I read Mr. Fox and simply didn't like this novel.
7. Ian Fleming - I read Casino Royale a few years ago to see how the novel compared to the movie. I think Ian Fleming is a decent writer. I'm just not interested in reading anymore James Bond novels. As an avid book lover, I can't believe I am writing this, but I'll stick to the movie franchise version of James Bond.
8. Edith Wharton - I listened to the unabridged audio version of House of Mirth and thought it was so BORING!
9. Andre Dubus III - I read the novel, The House of Sand and Fog, when it was an Oprah Book Club pick. I disliked it intensely. The main characters were frustrating to me. I have no desire to read any other books written by Andre Dubus III.
10. Denise Swanson - Okay, I've read lots of cozy mystery novels and there are loads of authors and novels in this genre that are duds in my opinion. Denise Swanson isn't the worst writer out there in the cozy mystery genre. But after reading two of her Scumble River Mysteries, I decided to pass on reading anymore of her novels.
Are there authors that have turned you off from reading their books in the future?
Are there authors that have turned you off from reading their books in the future?
I've never read Ian Fleming and have no real desire to, although I've wondered a few times how the Bond books compare. And Doug Adams- I tried Hitchhiker's and was kinda bored, never finished, but everyone does seem to like it, so I've thought of trying again. Don't know if I will though!
ReplyDeleteI've never been much of a fan of the literary classics myself. Which is odd since I loved English class growing up. I remember reading a few of these throughout the years for class but yeah, none ever made it to favorites or even tolerable list!
ReplyDeleteHere's my Tuesday Post
Have a GREAT day!
Old Follower :)
I've actually been reading the Hitchhiker books recently and they're definitely not what I would have thought but I do find myself enjoying them. Definitely not for everyone, though. Great list!
ReplyDeleteMy TTT: https://tsundokubooks.blogspot.co.uk/2018/04/top-ten-books-i-wish-would-be-adapted.html
Hehehe, another freebie topic I wish I'd thought of! With you on Hemmingway and Fleming -- I think I read Fleming years and years ago and just forgot about him. Hm.
ReplyDeleteI think some books were good to read in the era they were written. I agree with you that there are some of these authors I will not read either.
ReplyDeleteI've never read Hitchhiker, but I know several people who love it. I feel like I should give it a try, but I'm just not sure it will be my thing. I always seem to be in the mood to read something else! Here is our Top Ten Tuesday.
ReplyDeleteI read The Fault In Our Stars and promptly decided I was never reading another John Green novel again. I read 13 Reasons Why and actually did like it, but then it came out that Jay Asher had sexually harassed women so I won't be reading anymore of his books. I feel like I'm less willing to give authors I didn't like second chances now than I used to be, simply b/c I have a larger TBR and don't have the time to waste.
ReplyDeleteMy TTT: https://jjbookblog.wordpress.com/2018/04/17/top-ten-tuesday-155/
I read the first two Bond books that Fleming wrote because my dad recommended them to me, but I haven't gotten any further because I thought Live and Let Die was pretty racist. And I read The Sound and the Fury for college too, and I also didn't understand anything that went on in that book.
ReplyDelete- louise ☆
Lori Foster.
ReplyDeleteThis was an entertaining post! I liked most of the books you mention, but I really hated The Old Man and the Sea, I agree that Faulkner is hard to follow but I like him anyway, and Edith Wharton books are indeed boring in my opinion though I have read a couple that weren't too bad. I think I liked The Age of Innocence.
ReplyDelete