What is the worst book you've ever read?
Title says it all. We hear a lot on here about the best books to read, but what is a book where you've thought:
"Man, that's 2-4 hours I'm never getting back"
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The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien. Remember reading it in high school and to this day, might be the only book I actually didn't at least find interesting.
I liked the one about the mines on the path when they were walking in the middle of the night. Admittedly, that's the only one I actually read in high school because it was the shortest.
killing me with this one, loved that book, truly
damn haha legit might be in my top five. Just curious but what are some of your favorite books?
In what world is a book about ‘nam less interesting than all the boring shit you have to read in HS?
-"On The Road" by Jack Kerouac - He's a stupid alcoholic piece of shit who thinks it's cool to hitchhike around the country taking advantage of migrant workers and stealing shit. He died from internal bleeding drinking himself to death. Good riddance. -Jesus' Son by Denis Johnson - For starters, "Dennis" has two Ns you fucking momo. You think you're cute. Fuck outa here. I kept waiting for the "oh shit" moment and it never came. It was just some dumb dude writing a book on acid all in one sitting. -Every book Stephen Colbert has written or put his name on or whatever has been really bad. -"Success Stories" is the worst book in the Roert Kiyosaki series. It's the most dumbed-down, unrealistic bullshit ever written on real estate. -"Beyond Good and Evil" by Nietzsche - Oh my god what a fucking weak little crybaby. Homeboy loves to talk but not to do a god damn thing with his life -"Last Words" by George Carlin - Out-of-touch, uninformed Liberal ranting on society with no proposed solutions and no understanding of how complex issues are -Anything by Lewis Howes. He's a walking inspirational Instagram meme. Props for squeezing hundreds of pages out of restating the same 3 vague ideas about putting effort into shit -"The 4-Hour Workweek" by Tim Ferris - Maybe because it was all "duh" shit -"The 4-Hour Body" by Tim Ferris - Mostly mediocre to poor advice. For the record, I like Tim Ferris. Just not those books. -"The Alchemist" by Paolo Coelho - It was kinda stupid sorry. 3deep7me -"The Stranger" by Albert Camus - It was all a dream or some shit? Reading it made me smell sardines and I read it in a French accent that's enough for now. i'm kind of a big hater
You probably haven't read Nietzsche, have you?
I go for the all time psuedointellectual favourite, the jew Kafka. He's writing and ideas are mostly plagiarized from Strindberg, expect it's drivel.
But... but the metamorphosis is epic
"the jew"?
I enjoyed the Alchemist A LOT. I've read it twice but then again I was like 15 when I did that. I remember I found it quite interesting even though I forgot what it is about now. Not a fan of his other books, I think only bimbos trying to fake intelligence read his work.
The 4-hour workweek had some great gems in it. But then again, I was 18 when I read it and I haven't read many books.One of my favourite quotes comes from it:
"Set aside a certain number of days, during which you shall be content with the scantiest and cheapest fare, with coarse and rough dress, saying to yourself the while: “Is this the condition that I feared?” Seneca
I can't comment on the rest but in reality if you get 2 gems (great thoughts/ideas) from a book it's a good one. You simply can't have a book full of great things. Just like sex. You can't keep cumming every 10 seconds (every page), you have to give it some time (1 gem per 50-60 pages).
The Stranger for sure. No idea how that book is so highly rated. Unless there is some message that i totally missed.
People just like to feel all deep and whimsical and some of them don't require a real good reason for feeling that way
I thought basically every book I had to read in high school through college was terrible, from catcher in the rye (couldn't give a shit about any of the characters), to things fall apart, to the weird philosophical stuff we had to read in college like kant, heidegger & co. I had to read Guns Germs and Steel when I was a hs freshman and could barely get through it so hated it then but think its actually kinda interesting now.
Also i didnt like LOTR because it took forever for him to get to the point
If you hated Guns Germs & Steel, you're just a confirmed nimwit. Even though the info in that book is outdated and humans have been around much longer than he says.
You're the male version of a Starbucks Beckie. You're a Playstation Phil
"If you hated Guns Germs & Steel, you're just a confirmed nimwit."
Said the guy who lacks basic reading comprehension skills
Gotta say, I thought LOTR books were so freaking dull. Super descriptive but damn bro just tell me a story. I wanted to like them but just couldn't.
Catcher In The Rye VASTLY overrated
Have to respectfully disagree. That book changed me. Sure, it's applicable to every teenage boy in the U.S. going through puberty, but I feel like Salinger's writing style and ability to connect with the reader makes it a classic. It might be a cliche to like Catcher in the Rye, but it doesn't change the fact it is my favorite book (so much so I went ahead and got a first edition of it).
I agree that it is overrated but I still think it is a decent book.
Totally agree. It's the same reason that shitty, unpopular movies are starting to win Oscars--elitism.
Heart of Darkness by Joesph Conrad is the worst
Heart of Darkness is a fantastic book!
Heart of Darkness is one of my favorite books of all time
I thought Good to Great is incredibly overrated. A lot of completely pointless academic masturbation.
agree such a stupid book
And the nail in the coffin is that the list of "Great" companies Collins talks about in his book as a whole underperformed the S&P500 over the next ten year period
Wuthering Heights. Three times (twice as punishment).
To the middle schoolers out there preparing to recruit for mega funds, do not attend a private religious-affiliated high school and take British literature.
nailed it, fuck this book
Totally agree with On The Road, I couldn’t even get through it. It did teach me that the mindset attributed to millennials is nothing new - narcissistic assholes will always bail on responsibilities and people who care about them for their own kicks (to use the book’s phrasing).
Ready Player One: it’s Twilight for boys. A vaguely described main character (so that the reader can easily insert themself into the protagonist’s shoes) goes on an adventure that resolves almost every problem deux-ex-machina. Pump the rest full of “that-happened” style dialogue and 80’s nerd nostalgia and you have a book tailor made for sexless males.
Atlas Shrugged: for something that’s supposed to border on a philosophical work, it has no progression to the idea. You know what Rand has been going on about for half the book? Well here it is AGAIN! It’s just the same 3 points over and over and over. To boot, it’s really not that novel an idea, that all else being equal, those who work hard deserve to succeed and will bring extra wealth to all, but in the real freaking world, all else isn’t equal. What’s more, it sets up a perfect scenario for the views of Rand to succeed - a scenario that is impossible in real life. Everyone is completely one dimensional: the rich are driven, the poor are lazy, and so of COURSE it works out for those hard working rich folks and not the lazy moochers.
I think XKCD put it best: “I agree with 90% of every sentence, but Rand always ends with ‘so you should be a total asshole to everyone’”
Some books I do like for the summer:
Bad Blood (about Theranos) - amazing read, really shows how everyone, Obama and James Mattis alike, was so swept up in this vision that no one actually checked under the hood.
The Real Animal House - memoirs of Chris Miller as an AD at Dartmouth. Total beach read - just shut your brain off an be entertained.
Straight to Hell - while it’s a little like Ready Player One goes to Wall Street, there are some hilarious stories and it’s another good brainless beach read.
On World Order - Kissinger. This one is dense, but worth it. It focuses on the mentality of Russia and the Russian people starting from the Treaty of Westphalia through modern times. In light of the actions of the Internet Research Agency, it helps provide some context to how and why Russia is acting as it is.
Have you read any of Ayn Rand's other books? I agree that the characters and ideas aren't very deep. I read it when I was like 15 and it was a good time in my life to be introduced to the ideas. I think The Fountainhead was better. But what I'd really recommend to people (I used to make girls I dated read this and discuss to to evaluate their mindset) is Anthem. You can read it in a few hours, it's actually a good story, and it gets to the philosophical point much more succinctly than her other books. I still have yet to read Anthem.
I especially hate Jack Kerouac because I relate to him so much. Every day, I just want to fuck off to South America to binge drink and do heroin. He embraced weakness and I try my best every day to embrace strength. And weak men disgust me.
Wait, so you made girls read a book you yourself haven't read? Interesting approach.
Anthem is basically the same point - it's objectivism. Which Rand Paul would tell you is "telling it like it is", but I disagree. I think objectivism resonates with, as you said, a 15 year old - because it is a simple concept. But this is the problem with using it as a guiding principle - there is no nuance.
You've got to put Ayn Rand in context: she came out of the worst of Soviet Communism. So to her, Western laissez-faire capitalism is the cure to all evils. And at a high level, yes, any capitalism will benefit the individual more than soviet communism. The problem is it's like listening to someone who is thirsty in the desert tell you about water. To them, ANY water is what they need and can deliver them from their problems. However, to we who are not dying of thirst, we know that some water (like polluted or salt water) will not achieve our ends. So to use Rand as a guide is a good starting point, but shouldn't be used as the end-all be-all.
World Order is an excellent read, and I don't think it's dense enough to warrant the disclaimer. It does require a bit of background knowledge on economics, politics, and history for the user to fully understand, however, but that just elevates it in my mind. Rest of the list is solid, too.
I never lived in any of these places nor do I speak the language; in fact I've never spoken to any of the locals besides a few of their politicians. Nonetheless, I have a strong opinion about their mentality - look at how I managed to f*ck them while I was in power.
Unfortunately, all over the world various experts produce books about why the US acts the way it does. Their opinions are based on a similar level of expertise.
Anything Malcolm Gladwell has written should be burned.
Thank you, that guy is a con artist.
Honestly, why the MS? Malcolm Gladwell is basically synonymous with bullshit
While I like the Mooch, "Hopping Over the Rabbit Hole" by Anthony Scaramucci is up there for me for all time worst. Just a big boast about how he started SALT conference during the recession. Also alludes to getting canned from Goldman about 1000x which got old fast. Very little to takeaway. (Read this book before his White House stint)
I heard so many people talk about eric greitens books, I don't even remember which book it was but I maybe got through 2 chapter before I threw the book in the trash. Filled will complete utter bullshit. Come to find out the guy is a complete douche bag and his whole life is a complete farce.
Also anything by brandon webb is 100% bullshit and hes a scumbag
Anything by John Grisham
Other than for school, I’ve never read a book I don’t like because I’m the kind of person who — 50 pages in, if I don’t like it — I’m out, Sone people, once they start a book, just have to finish. I’m not one of those.
I agree. Stop reading books I don't like.
Farenheit 454. Only book in my life I literally could not finish
Freshmen year of high school I burned my copy of the book after I read it
Is this a sequel to Fahrenheit 451?
No, OP just got the name wrong.
No, just a fat-fingered screw up.
Any one of those "never give up" kind of books. Broad, vague, cliché, and dry.
I believe people should give up more often...
wolf of wall street (the movie was good the book sucked, most of the lines Jordan claimed to have said were direct quotes from Boiler Room) do you think we're as dumb as the clients you scammed?
Twilight Fifty Shades of Grey
why'd you read those lol
Fifty shades of Grey is a better book than the BIBLE
Every book because i tend to not finish them
Books I read but didn't enjoy:
The 50th Law - 50 cent & Robert Greene Kept saying the same thing over and over again and made things far more complex than they are. Found no value in it. I'll never read anything by Robert Greene after this.
Books I couldn't finish because they were boring:
Principles (sorry guys) Lots of gems inside it and interesting ways to view things but I couldn't even finish it. I understand why they say Bridgewater is a cult. I'll try networking with someone there to see to what extent this "radical transparency and honesty" is BS.
The Prince - Machiavelli I'll get back to it someday, I think it must be good and it's only about 100 pages.
The Prince is definitely tough. I never finished either.
Dude, The Prince is a thin little book. Tough?
I have read the Prince at least twice that I can recall. The literal translation is flowery so you have to kind of glide over it and stop at the good parts, back up, and reread (Oliverotto Da Fermo is my favorite besides the obvious 'loved vs. feared' bit).
I remember the “loved vs feared” part now that you mentioned it. I think the most important lesson is that when you know things, you don’t have to say them. Let me elaborate. He made the perfect guide on how to have power and be successful, yet he was extremely unsuccessful himself. The book was supposed to shmooze the king back then but he was banished, his books were forbidden and when found, burned.
Sometimes you may know everything A-Z but you have to play the game. For example, relationships. Even if its a one night stand you can’t go and say “Lets just have sex for one night and never meet/speak again”. You have to play the game. Take it somewhat slowly, compliment her etc. Same with networking. I hope this makes sense.
Most of Robert Greene's other books are actually much better than 50th law. Art of Seduction, 33 Strategies of War, and 48 Laws of Power have a lot of principles that apply to competition and interactions with people. I'd suggest at the very least finding the PDFs online and skimming over them to see if you like the way they flow.
Only downsides are the language sounds too "try hard" and the case studies are longer than they should be.
"Human Action" by Ludwig von Mises. I lost more than 2 - 4 hours.
Pride and Prejudice
Great Expectations. You know it's going to be shit when the author gets paid by the page.
Anna Karenina
A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn. SJW ranting about how the US is so terrible and is always on the wrong side of history. Most absurd part of the book was when Zinn wrote that it is not fair that the USA tells certain countries they can't have nuclear weapons lol look how that's working out with North Korea rn buddy
Holy shit! I was about to type that too. Worst book ever, forced to read that in my History class. These fucking left-wing history professors forced that garbage down every kid's mouth. Aside from that, listening to these brainless kids regurgitating every word this guy wrote was appalling
The Tao of Bill Murray. The book was boring and made him come off as an asshole.
Also, Jerusalem by Alan Moore. Way too long, could've fit into 1/2 the pages. For such a great author, I expected Moore of him (ha, ha).
books i wish i never read
grit ready fire aim the productivity project three simple steps the most important thing (marks) thinking fast and slow all taleb books
books i wish i read early in life
cal newport - so good and deep work 4 disciplines of execution or measure what matters, either works but dont need both
Was actually getting ready to read Howard Marks' book and Taleb's books. Are they worth the read?
Howard Mark's is good, simple and easy to understand. If you don't really have the time, watch his talk with Michael Milken instead, it covers most of the info in the book. It's a useful book to have in your stash.
I read Taleb's The Black Swan and I thought it was good, though long. Definitely recommend reading.
Everybody raves about Thinking Fast and Slow. I haven't read it yet, but what didn't you like about it?
It split the difference between trying to be a book about mental systems and a book about pop-psych, productivity, self-helpy.
its incredibly slow.
the underlying studies are more fascinating.
books like these should be far more engaging or dont bother writing them because once the Expert defines the topology of the field, good luck cracking top 5 on amazon unless you just repackage Expert.
'Thinking Fast and Thinking Slow'... I gave up around page 60...not that it was a BAD book; it was just like molasses
Just curious, what did you not like about Taleb? I was considering reading Black Swan and Skin in the Game.
Ive read antifragile and black swan. both are terrible.
Antifragile is an ok concept. but its can be broken down into factors, such as the value of optionality and the value of non-correlation during periods where correlation of a field tends towards 1 during an event (eg. recession).
thats pretty much it. dont need to rant about dumb coworkers or how smart i was in the 80s when we blew up a fund or whatever. thats the concept.
antifragility breaks down once you realize you can have a portfolio of n assets, and not every asset needs to be some complex option. My boy Quantian's 401k statement can show you how dangerous that can be and proper diversification, which can be as simple as allocating 1/n to all asset classes, does better.
Worst book I ever read was by far The Stranger by Camus.
Anything by Dave Ramsey. Complete hypocrite who made his $$$ on the weakest minded people.
Most of the self help "you can be a millionaire too!" books are complete trash. This might be unpopular but ppl like Malcolm Gladwell and James Altucher fall right into that pile in my opinion.
"Want to get rich? Give me $20 and I'll tell you how."
Thank you !!!!
A lot of people seem to dislike books that are filled with things they already know - that sort of makes sense, but you have to remember that information is unknown to someone out there, maybe a lot of people. If it's good information, then it's a good book. That's how I look at it.
I read Rousseau's Social Contract in college for a political philosophy class...it's one thing to be forced to read someone soft-selling socialism, it's another to have to endure their insufferable writing style.
I was also forced to read News From Nowhere, and I honestly think it's a more unbelievable work of fiction than any science fiction film ever made. I suppose it was well written, though.
Milk & Honey
Tried reading "How to Win Friends..." and "Think and Grow Rich" but couldn't get past ~50 pages on either. My problem with them was that they were filled with anecdotes. Do they get any better or are they pretty much filled with anecdotes the entire book? How would yall recommend reading these books and actually getting something out of it?
Doesn’t “Win Friends” summarize the chapter at the beginning or end?
Any thoughts on Crime and Punishment by Dostoevsky? I am 120 pages deep and I dont think I will finish it.
Seems like a few people have given up on non-fiction books after the first couple chapters. If you find this happening to you I’d recommend reading the first chapter or two then treating the rest of the book more like a collection of essays rather than a single narrative. I’ve noticed a lot of nonfiction books lend themselves well to this method. Reading a dense academic argument for 300 pages is tough for most people and the chapters are typically able to stand on their own once you get the jist of the argument. You may not cover 100% of the book but it beats paying for something that you stopped reading after 40 pages.
American Psycho was probably the worst book, just for the sheer fact of how unbelievably disturbing it was. It was the only book I’ve felt physically uneasy after reading certain chapters. The movie was great though.
Principles - Ray Dalio
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