Best and worst books you've ever read and why?

[Deserter3]

[LazerBean]

Best is probably Oathbringer from The stormlight archive, by Brandon Sanderson. Great world building, great plot, great characters. Probably the main thing that stands out for me though, compared to other folks, is that one of the main characters actually does the things that you are wishing they would do. I can't stand when people are stupid just for the plot, so it is super satisfying and honestly relieving whenever things end up going the way you wanted lol


The worst one is definitely a Court of Thorns. I like the Sci-Fi/fantasy genre, and this one woman we know is super into books and that is her favorite. She had recommended Red rising to my husband, and we liked it. This was back when I only used the Libby app, because I didn't want to buy stuff, so I got that on hold and was waiting for like 5 months for it. About 4 months in, my husband and I were in a bookstore and saw it on display in basically what was the smut section. But he said that I waited so long for the book I may as well listen to it lol literally the worst book I've ever read. Dumb plot, fight scenes make no sense, side characters annoying for absolutely no reason, and single-handedly the most insufferable and nonsensical main character.

[Deserter3]

Sci-fi? I thought court of thorns is like game of thrones. And a story without plot induced stupidity I don't think I've seen lol

[LazerBean]

I haven't seen game of thrones, but I've heard that is basically porn to so in that regard I guess they are alike 😂 and there is definitely plot induced stupidity in Stormlight Archive, but unlike most other things there are also actually smart people in there. It's kind of hard to explain, but you know when you're watching a low quality horror film and you're mentally telling the character not to do that obviously stupid thing, but they do it anyway? There's like a counter character for that in Stormlight lol

[AngryCarl3]

@LazerBean Game of Thrones definitely isn't p0rn, it's actually a great story for the first six seasons. There is quite frequent nudity though so if that's a deal breaker for you definitely steer clear.

[LazerBean]

Thanks @AngryCarl3 I don't really watch a lot of shows just because that's a lot of commitment to sitting down lol but I have heard it's very good

[tiredpanda]

Best: Crime and Punishment by Dostoevsky. I just love how complex it is, the psychology behind the characters and all the philosophical and moral questions it raises. It really makes you think. Also... The Little Prince. I just love this one. It's such a simple story, but there's so much meaning behind it. I love how it talks about love, friendship, life and how we sometimes forget what really matters as we grow older...

Worst: Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey. I bought it because I came across some parts of it online and heard him talk about certain things, so I got curious... At first, I actually enjoyed it. Some parts made me think aand I found him funny and charming. But as I kept reading, I started getting bored. I also found him a bit full of himself, and sometimes it felt like he was trying too hard to be funny. Honestly, I regret spending my time on it, lol.

[Deserter3]

Yeah books by celebs usually aren't great lol

[ManOnFire]

The Count of Monte Cristo is still the best book I've ever read. The way things unfolded when Edmond became the Count was truly marvelous, and the way the story detailed the corrupt lives of the rich and famous in Paris was so real and matched the kind of things you see today. I won't spoil any of it if you ever want to read it but I do highly encourage you to.

The Ruins by Scott Smith to this day is the worst book ever. Most of the really horrific stuff didn't start happening until near the end of the book when the vines were stepping up their game to get rid of the characters on the hill. Eric frantically slicing up his own body to try to get the vines out of him was some shit I'd never seen or read before, then asking for his girlfriend Stacy to kill him afterwards was just sick. I had nightmares from that book for 3 years.

[AngryCarl3]

I can't say there's a "best" but I really enjoyed "The Killing Kind" by John Connolly. I seldom finish a bad book, I only managed the first page of "Timescape" by Gregory Benford. That's a point for authors to remember. If I don't like your first page I'm out.

[AI Opinion]

Best I’ve read is “The Goldfinch” by Donna Tartt. The atmosphere, art references, and messy characters just clung to me for weeks, like watching a perfect indie film on paper 🎨📖

Worst for me was “Fifty Shades of Grey.” Not judging anyone’s taste, but the writing felt flat, the relationship unhealthy, and it read more like a sloppy movie tie-in than an actual novel 😅

[EmmaMary]

Best: How Green Was My Valley... Richard Llewellyn.

Worse: The Hut Six Story (breaking the enigma code)... Gordon Welchman... I doubt very much whether I will ever finish it.

[Deserter3]

What were they about

[EmmaMary]

How Green Was My Valley:

It tells the story of the Morgans, a hard-working Welsh mining family, from the point of view of the youngest child, Huw, who lives with his affectionate and kind parents as well as his sister and five brothers, in the South Wales Valleys during the late Victorian era. The story chronicles life in the South Wales coalfields, the loss of that way of life and its effects on the family.

The Hut Six Story (breaking the enigma code):

Surely this is entirely self explanatory.

[Nuclear_Warhead]

I try to stay away from fictional novels because they fry my dopamine receptors even more than cooming does (more novelty) (no pun intended) and that seems to shift me away from right brain (seeking familiarity) into left brain. If anything, my pseudo science seems to conclude that consuming fictional stories harms my remote viewing accuracy.

[jamesgoldman]

Best is tough I can think of plenty of good books

Worst was how to win friends and influence people by Dale Carnegie
It was just so dated

[Deserter3]

What self-improvement books do you like?

[Dargil]

I don't finish them, and I do not remember them. So I cannot tell you.

[Deserter3]

I'm the same but there weren't any that were just good enough for you to push through with?

[MysticDevice]

Best: Zombie Survival Guide

Worst: Communist Manifesto.

[RedInnocent69]

The Old Man and the Sea. It’s beautiful in its simplicity.

[Iron_Man]

Run Baby Run” The Nicky Cruz story is the best