Astrophysics Like Melville

[mrissa]

Quote of the evening: "And there wasn't even any nifty astrophysics like there would have been if Melville had written it." -- timprov

No, this was not a complaint at the book club discussion of Tam Lin. In the car on the way up, we were discussing the worst books we've read. So I have questions for you: what's the worst book you were ever forced to read in school? And what's the worst book you ever read on your own? (For my purposes, "on your own" includes "my best friend/grandmother/other important person wanted to discuss it.")

Comments

[buymeaclue.livejournal.com]

Red Badge of Courage, probably, or Robinson Crusoe. I don't remember either well enough to provide specifics, but I think the former had a repetition problem and the latter struck me as flat-out dull.

I should probably give them a second chance, but there's just too much stuff out there that I _am_ excited about reading.

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

There's just too much stuff out there that I _am_ excited about reading.

Exactly. I get book-drunk just thinking of it. I know that I could probably read Hemingway now, but I haven't found a reason to do so. I hated Hemingway so much in high school that my eyes would skip right on off the page. I had to read out loud to keep myself reading, and even then I was ignoring my own voice half the time. I doubt that they would be that much of a mismatch this time around, but...there's so much else to read.