Let’s go Booking Through Thursday!
“What’s the worst ‘best’ book you’ve ever read — the one everyone says is so great, but you can’t figure out why?”
This is a hard question for me to answer — mostly because I usually buy into the hype! There are few books heralded as really great that I haven’t ultimately enjoyed. Although I was hesitant to read them, I eventually broke down and loved J.K. Rowling’s famed Harry Potter series — and, though opinions are decidedly mixed on the subject, I did love Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight books.
A book that I really wanted to like — mostly because it was a favorite of my father’s? J.R.R. Tolkein’s The Hobbit, which was pretty much insufferable to me as a middle schooler. I tried to pick it up again years later, but I really couldn’t process it or get immersed in the story. I loved the films based on the series, though!
Lately, I’d have to say my vote goes for Mark Haddon’s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. I’d heard quite a bit about the novel when working at the bookstore but never grabbed it — so I mooched it on BookMooch last fall. I read the first 60 pages or so and just felt . . . meh. Though it was definitely a fast read and I didn’t have any trouble quickly turning the pages, I wasn’t invested in the character at all — in fact, I felt an overwhelming sense of detachment. When 15-year-old Christopher, a young British man with Asperger’s Syndrome, begins talking about math and listing statistics and graphs and physics everywhere, I was gone. Maybe I just wasn’t in the mood for this sort of book at the time — I’m not sure. But I have no doubt that Haddon is a skilled writer, and know that Curious Incident has a special place in the hearts of many. One reader on LibraryThing describes the book as a “brilliant and heart-wrenchingly real portrayal of a 15-year-old with Asperger’s Syndrome,” then describes the reader as feeling “raw, steely and shocked” upon completing the novel. And maybe I would have — had I gotten that far. As it stands, I had to move on!
write meg! 
I am actually reading Curious Incident right now. I completely agree with your assessment of feeling detached from the character, but I felt that it gives a small idea of the character’s feeling towards the world at large.
http://barneysbookblog.blogspot.com/
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I liked Curious Incident, but it wasn’t amazing for me.
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I loved Twilight too! I think that it could be because I took it as it was. I knew that it wasn’t going to be amazing writing or intense themes. It was just pure fluffy, fun, easy reading. I couldn’t get through Curious Incident either. I just couldn’t get into the character.
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I liked HP 3 and 4. Atleast Rowling knows how to develop the characters.
Here is what I wrote
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This meme really shows that one book is not for everyone! I finished Curious Incident but my daughters (both in their 20s) hated it! I did enjoy Twilight (more than the rest of the series).
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I liked the Curious Dog okay- until I got to the end. It just felt so- unrealistic. The parents’ reactions, I mean.
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I didn’t like The Hobbit either but I was forced to finish because I made a bargain with my boyfriend.
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I liked the Curious Incident enough that I bought Haddon’s second book A Spot of Bother. I enjoyed that book quite a bit more if you wanted to give him a second chance.
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I have heard of all of these books on different blogs today. Some books do get a bad press. I haven’t read any of them .
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The Curious Incident etc. has been on my tbr list for awhile now, but for some reason I’ve been hesitant about picking it up. I just don’t know…
I loved The Hobbit btw, but you do sort of have to give yourself over to it.
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The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is okay, but it was forgettable. Da Vinci Code for me. It doesn’t have any competitor.
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Hi Meg,
I’m surprised ‘Curious Incident’ is in your list. Christopher is a gloriously well-developed character in my mind.
Warmest
Rob
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I have to agree with you on The Hobbit. I will not even touch it after a teacher read it aloud in grade school. I couldn’t keep my eyes open to save my life.
I really like “Curious Incident”.
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I love The Hobbit. First read it in junior high and have read many times since.
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I read the Lord of th Rings trilogy, but never The Hobbit.
I guess I wanted to really love the Twilight series and only thought the first book was okay, but I did not hate it.
That’s actually a really good question. It’s got me thinking…
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Loved Harry. Don’t get the hype about Twilight. I actually liked the last one the best. I haven’t read Tolkien yet. Bit overwhelming!
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The Hobbit was a painful read to me, and I’m still not sure why. I read the LOTR trilogy and thought it was good enough, but I tried and tried and never could read the Hobbit!
As for the Curious Incident, I thought it was ok, but forgettable. I think I simply heard too much praise about it, and had too high expectations.
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i listened to ‘the curious…’ in the car and guess i didn’t like it that much because i can’t even remember any of the details. (admittedly, i ‘read’ it a few years ago, so forgive me.)
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Jai Ho.
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Hi! Just found your blog during one of my many random I’m-way-too-old-for-this-stuff Twilight-related searches on the web (I was actually google-hunting for a specific picture and your mini-Edward caught my attention – lol…). I’ll be back! I won’t, however, be discouraging you from Twilight-related posts. If I have to be stuck obsessing, I want to be in good company.
I did also read “Curious Incident” a while back [just to prove I used to read other things…] – I think I agree with previous comments by Jessica that the detached feeling fits the character.
: )
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