Suggested by Janet:
How about, “What’s the worst ‘best’ book you’ve ever read — the one everyone says is so great, but you can’t figure out why?”
Well, honestly, I don't know. If a book doesn't get me hooked in the first 30 pages or so, I put it down for good. It doesn't matter if it 'redeems' itself in the middle/end. If the beginning is crap - I'm done. I don't waste my time.
The only books I can think of right now that are not as 'awesome' as people say are the Twilight books. They are just fanfic...it's not great writing. I enjoyed the first one. The characters are interesting to me. I love character studies and highly descriptive writing, so I did like that aspect of Twilight. The middle books were ok, but the last book was positively atrocious. I understand why the teens are loving them though...it's that little obsession that all teens have. Mine was New Kids on the Block. ;) I didn't go nuts over them or anything, I've never been that kind of person. I really dislike that kind of behavior....it's not flattering.
The thing is, while I'm glad teens are reading - I'm appalled that they say things like "omg, they are the best books ever written!". WHAT? Someone needs to introduce these kids to classic literature, STAT. When you read a book and there is layer upon layer of brilliance...THAT is great writing. Twilight is just a nice, cute, safe story - not great writing. But, I'll enjoy the frenzy of Twilight while it's here. It's fun, anyway.
Although, I'll be avoiding any store that sells DVD's this weekend though - mass chaos. Mass chaos. I have no interest in being in a room full of screaming children. LOL
On a side note, there are some books that are 'hyped' up that really are amazing books. The Road by McCarthy is one of them. The Book Thief by Zusak is another. Both of these books are written brilliantly. Not only are the stories within great stories - beautiful portraits of humanity, hope, death, love, etc...but also, the authors were very clever in how they formatted the books. The physical experience of reading these books is wonderful.
In The Road, you are thrust into this stripped down, wasteland of a book - very little punctuation and structure...just like the world you are reading about. You EXPERIENCE the loss, the emptiness, the alarming oddness of it all with the characters. It took a while to get comfortable enough to read the book - and even then, you never really get comfortable. Just like the characters, we experience this unnerving story in an unnerving way. It's moving. It's poignant.
The Book Thief does the same thing. It's as if you are the diary that the narrator is writing upon. Scribbles. Thoughts. Random sentences and random ponderings. Descriptions of images. It pulls you in and you are experiencing these memories with the narrator - like an elderly person telling stories of their youth. Partial - something are faded, some things are vibrant. Sometimes they remember the smell more than the conversation. Sometimes colors are vibrant, even if the memory is not clear. This is the way of human memory. The author did a great job developing a visual style in the book that allows us to experience these memories with the narrator.
Maybe the stories aren't for you - the pain and the dispair. But there is hope, happiness, love as well. What makes these books great is that they are accurate portrayals of humanity. Real, raw - nothing is photoshopped or airbrushed. It's honest. Heartbreaking. Hopeful. Human. I think, if you read these books and allow yourself to actually EXPERIENCE them....you will understand how they are great peices of art.
