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Feeding Frenzy! The Top Ten List of Worst Books You’ve Ever Read
Top Ten Books (Worst)
I really don't have a top ten of "worst" books. I'm going to randomly look at my Goodreads shelves for inspiration for this one. I'm also just going to do five, not ten, as I can't handle revisiting too many of these!
Most of these books were as terrifying as seeing a shark fin in the water. Let the ranting begin....
The first ten books of the Anita Blake series were some of the best I've ever read. A creatively structured, multi-layered fantasy world with intriguing, deep characters all playing their part. You got the small amounts of detective mystery with Anita and the police from investigating preternatural crime, but also the very cool and underused world of necromancy. You have a conflicted heroine who is finding out about her powers, recovering from a hard childhood, and maneuvering among powerful creatures who all want to use her for her gifts. The villains aren't always villains and there are some seriously yummy men in these stories. There's potent supernatural political infrastructures fighting amongst themselves and creating fascinating obstacles. In short? Let's just say brilliant. Unfortunately, at the 10th book, the writer did a bizarre turn and decided to flatten the characters worse and worse until they were eventually one-dimensional carbon copies of their original selves. The books became senseless sex drivel, over and over again, the repetition getting boring. Necromancy and mystery went out the door when the pants kept coming down. This was the book I finally nailed the nail on the coffin and, with some tears, said goodbye forever. This series genuinely irritated me with all its potential flushed down the toilet while the characters were too busy getting it on in the bedroom next door.
Besides the author's strange dependance and obsession with exclamation marks !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! <----- please make them leave!!!!, there was this annoying trait (copied from the review)
It was also impossible for the words to flow smoothly when, for some indeterminable reason, the two main characters insisted on using each others names in almost every sentence. Yes, an example is called for:
Pg. 193:
"What of Spring Lily, Wind Dancer?"
His reply the next paragraph: "What is it you wish to know of Spring Lilly, Silver Dove?"
She replies, blissfully not saying his name this time.
He says, not showing the reader the same courtesy, "You alone hold my heart, Silver Dove. More sentimental words follow"
Of course, she then says, " I'm glad, Wind Dancer."
Him: "I have often dreamt of this moment, Silver Dove."
She says something without saying his name.
He says, " The joining ceremony of our people is real, Silver Dove. More words."
She replies, "I didn't meant to ask if the ceremony was real for your people, Wind Dancer."
ARGH!! Every conversation in the book goes this route. For the love all that is holy, why? It grated on my nerves to the point I soon wasn't able to concentrate on anything else.
The Complete Guide to Herbal Medicines is not necessarily the worst of it's kind, but it does embody something I hate about some natural medicine books - Books obviously made to try and attract the attention of the public in order to convince people to go to the doctors and use allopathic medicine instead. It comes across as a guise, a ruse to trick people, thinking sure, they're into natural medicine, we'll sell a natural medicine book and subtly insert scares, that they shouldn't use anything natural for anything, and send them to the doctor over everything instead. It's dishonest.
A section of my original review:
Sometimes wording is effective brain washing. The first herb mentioned, Aconite, is toxic. It has been used by people in the past to commit suicide, as has every other poisonous substance. Yet they did not word it that way. Instead, “In fact, this herb was once used as a poison in arrows and has been linked to many suicides.” Linked how, as in causing them? Is this a warning against the herb, as if the suicides are the herbs fault? Even in Aloe Vera, they say that studies indicate Aloe may be useful for healing, but are quick to point out in the same sentence that studies aren’t well documented. And of course the standard follow up with the FDA recognizing the herb as generally safe, but not recommending it for any condition.
Julia Roberts: America's Sweetheart - I hate sensational tabloids, the paparazzi, and American's obsession with being vultures over celebrities. Enough said?
Review Section:
The end result is simply boring, with gathered quotes from a variety of sources, trying to paint a picture that doesn't have a proper enough sketching to come together for a realistic enough image. With no index and no solid storyline, this book is simply a waste of time. The only good thing about it is the writing style is so simple a child could read it easily, and there are pictures. Black and white pictures, but hey, still pictures. At least the O'Donnell book, while trashy, was interesting in some of the time span.
