Everyone has their own opinion about what qualifies as a good read, whether based on literary merit or the joy of reading it.
But there are some titles that people can pretty easily agree took a turn that really didn't do the book any favors.
Redditor 2D_brain asked:
"What's the worst book you've ever read?"
50 Shades of Grey
"'50 Shades of Grey.' It's just the worst. Not remotely interesting. There is way better erotica out there. Way better. This is just the worst."
- joanne122597
The Darksword Trilogy
"'The Darksword Trilogy' by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. It started out as a decent enough swords and sorcery series. Nothing special, but an amusing time-waster."
"Then, towards the end of the last book, a wormhole opens up, and the US Army invaded their fantasy realm."
- Catlenfell
Mein Kampf
"I’ve read 'Mein Kampf' for a history project and it definitely is the worst piece of literature I've ever read."
"Not only by the message, which already would make it the worst, but it’s just horrible writing. Feels more like an angry social media comment than a book."
- IceClimbers_Main
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
"I want to tack on 'The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas,' as well. It's not literal Nazi propaganda, but it basically perpetuates Nazi myths like the Clean Wehrmacht and has you sympathize with the Nazis. In fact, not any Nazi, but an SS and leader of the Auschwitz camp."
"But even ignoring the plot itself, the book is so awful. It's full of historical inaccuracies. It claims to aim to bring awareness of the Holocaust to a young audience, but there are so many better literary works including those written by actual children as they went through the experience. But nope, let's go with the historically inaccurate book written by someone with basically no connection to the Holocaust (like, not Jewish, minority, researcher, that kind of thing) stupid drivel."
"So, of course, it made millions and got a movie out of it. There are now millions of children who think this story is true and might have become more sympathetic to Nazis as a result as well. None of that money (last time I checked, has admittedly been a while) went towards anything relating to education (or awareness...) regarding the Holocaust or anything else related or tangentially related to the Holocaust."
"I hate this book. It's nonsense and it is insidious."
- HabitatGreen
Go Ask Alice
"'Go Ask Alice' when you’re old enough to realize it’s just propaganda to scare kids and not an actually found diary of a drug user."
- sketchysketchist
Go Set a Watchman
"'Go Set a Watchman.'"
"'To Kill a Mockingbird' is a masterpiece. Her first book, it won the Pulitzer and then Harper Lee lived the rest of her life a recluse, never publishing another work. UNTIL… her caretaker/grifter sister came forward right before Harper passed away and announced to the world that there actually was another book, a sequel to TKAM."
"It was awful. Poorly written, boring story, rehashed characters…except for Atticus Finch. In Mockingbird, he was one of the greatest characters in american literature. In Watchman, he was a dime-a-dozen redneck racist. There was clearly a reason she never published it."
- Igotthesilver
Wicked
"'Wicked.' My wife and I listened to the audiobook on a road trip because friends had invited us to see the play. It was way too long and I remember it seeming like it was written by several different writers who didn't really communicate with each other."
"One was a totally nuts conspiracy theorist, another was on a really bad acid trip, and another was a child from a strict household who'd been told they could use no-no words and say naughty things all they wanted."
"We came super close to making up an excuse to not see the play but luckily we didn't. The play was actually terrific! If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend going. Just skip the book."
- Tangent_
Maximum Ride
"Everything after Book Three of the 'Maximum Ride' series. I use them as my go-to examples of bad writing and they are what made me entirely lose faith in James Patterson. The last book especially cost me so many brain cells."
"I wish I'd had the foresight to stop with Book Three, but I finished the whole thing. The last book was... interesting. The whole thing had the most self-contradicting plot and conflict stuffed with a hasty attempt to wrap up loose ends by just killing everyone and just as the cherry on top, the sky explodes in the end? I don't know, it was kind of unclear."
- ParkityParkPark
The Divergent Trilogy
"I loved that series so much until that ending..."
- PurpleMermaid16
The Dune Prequels
"'The Dune' prequel books written by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson. Talk about missing the point of the original series! They read like a YA fan fiction based in the Dune universe."
- ImInJeopardy
Slammed
"I was hoping someone would mention Colleen Hoover, if only to talk about how absolutely terrible and hilarious her book 'Slammed' is. Reading it was honestly just such a ridiculous experience that I may never find again in another book."
- Leedamu
The Necronomicon
"'The Necronomicon.' I found it pretty boring and repetitive after the first five pages. Got halfway and said f**k this and read 'Good Omens' again."
- raidakens
Darling Girl
"'Darling Girl' by Liz Michalski. It’s a Peter Pan spinoff where Peter Pan impregnates Holly Darling, Wendy’s daughter, and then abandons them, and when the girl is a teenager, Peter tries to take the daughter back."
"I couldn’t stomach the idea of Peter Pan, a childlike figure, impregnating someone and all that ick. Peter Pan is 'the boy who never grew up.' But he’s a father now? No thanks. I got about 30 pages in, and literally gave up."
- MPD1987
The Fountainhead
"'The Fountainhead.' I was going to put 'Atlas Shrugged' down until I remembered how much worse 'The Fountainhead' was. And yes, I read both; any suffering inflicted by 'Atlas Shrugged' was something I deserved."
- ditchdiggergirl
Everyone has a right to their own opinion, and they should not be ashamed to read what they love to read. But they also should not feel bad about wasting time on a book they are not enjoying, when there are hundreds and thousands of books out there that they'll love that they could read instead.
Library Goes Viral After Calling Out Patron For Using A Slice Of Cheese As A Bookmark
A library in England recently found a strange surprise in one of their books.
The University of Liverpool Library went viral after calling out one of its patrons.
According to their viral tweet, a very unusual bookmark was found in one of their books: a slice of single-wrapped cheese.
The tweet shows a picture of the cheese, paired with the words "this is not a bookmark."
This is not a bookmark. https://t.co/oy7tqM3aJv— Uni of Liverpool Library (@Uni of Liverpool Library) 1579615551.0
It's apparent that the cheese was long forgotten before being discovered, judging by the condition of the slice. This cursed photo led many people to wonder: who the heck would ever do something so blasphemous as to use cheese as a bookmark?
Whoever maintains the social media for the library clearly had a sense of humor about the whole situation, stating in a follow-up tweet that they had "no idea" why there would be mice in the library.
Me talking to the pest control man - "No mate I've no idea why we have mice in the library" *Picks up a book and ac… https://t.co/PkNFnwHffX— Uni of Liverpool Library (@Uni of Liverpool Library) 1579619707.0
The situation quickly went viral on Twitter, gaining over 100K likes on the original post.
As a result, the library challenged the people of the internet to come up with their most cheesy puns.
While we are surprised by the 100k likes, we know we can always rely on #LibraryTwitter for some cheesy puns. We wi… https://t.co/aDKoudnLDr— Uni of Liverpool Library (@Uni of Liverpool Library) 1579681568.0
It didn't stop there, though.
One of the library's fans decided to create a photoshopped issue of TIME Magazine- with a picture of the moldy American cheese on the cover.
Oh come on...! https://t.co/nX3okBtQdj— Uni of Liverpool Library (@Uni of Liverpool Library) 1579705380.0
A lot of Twitter users chimed in with their own jokes and puns.
@LivUniLibrary Seems like it's time to read Grate Expectations again. #LibraryTwitter— Black Widow (@Black Widow) 1579719348.0
@LivUniLibrary Narrator: Of course, it wasn’t *actual* cheese.— lydiahowland (@lydiahowland) 1579631268.0
@LivUniLibrary What you mean in the UK you don’t mark your pages with pasteurized, processed dairy products?— Linda (@Linda) 1579639610.0
@LivUniLibrary I will only give you a like if it fell out of, "Who Moved My Cheese?" https://t.co/yitVgeBT1c— Julia Garrison (@Julia Garrison) 1579731412.0
One person boldly declared that the library had a future beyond a viral Twitter post.
Which the library followed up with a perfect Simpsons reference.
@DrDavidJeffery The cheese slice is famous. https://t.co/kPXYBxOB44— Uni of Liverpool Library (@Uni of Liverpool Library) 1579711413.0
Other libraries chimed in with their own puns.
@LivUniLibrary C'est la Brie! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯— LdnMetArchives (@LdnMetArchives) 1579701638.0
@LivUniLibrary This has gouda too far now. I’m getting feta up with this.— University of Bolton Library (@University of Bolton Library) 1579681901.0
@LivUniLibrary anything we think of will be too cheesy https://t.co/1Tl8dfzB8r— Edin Napier Library (@Edin Napier Library) 1579699463.0
@LivUniLibrary Well You gouda brie kidding, we never put a pun with our post. https://t.co/FLpT3JZDE7— Blackwells Liverpool (@Blackwells Liverpool) 1579681862.0
Whether or not the unknown perpetrator meant for this to happen, it's clear that this little slice of cheese has broken the internet.
If only it was a slice of real cheese! Come on, cheese bookmark, guy!
People Imagine What Later Harry Potter Books Exploring His Adulthood and Middle Age Would Be Titled
What would Harry do? Who would Harry be? What wold be his "normal" profession? Maybe one day we'll find out. At the moment J.K. Rowling doesn't seem interested in continuing Harry's story. So fans are left to ponder mere "what ifs." And the Potter fanatics are definitely creative about what Harry would face in life.
Redditor u/squasharito wanted to hear from all the "Potterheads" about what could be the next chapter in the mystical lexicon by asking.... Harry Potter is nearing middle age, and wizard or not, has to deal with the banalities of adulthood, what are the names of some of his later books?
The Office.
GiphyHarry Potter and the Never-Ending Staff Meeting. GodofWitsandWine
Harry Potter and the Deathly PowerPoint Presentation. livefreak
Why Am I Here?
Harry Potter and Why Did I Come Into This Room Again? Marise20
Where are my glasses? (glasses are propped up on his forehead) ForgettableUsername
Kidney Stones.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Kidney Stone. Howl_Free_or_Die
To be fair, I think someone who can grow new bones would not really have to worry about the kidney stones. Tatis_Chief
Floppy Wand.
Harry Potter and It Happens To All Guys at Some Point. AnarkeIncarnate
Harry Potter and I Was Really Tired and I Had a Few Drinks. P_E_E_N
Harry potter and the floppy wand. bigfatnuts
Employment.
GiphyWell Paid Jobs and Where to Find Them. mage_irl
There's a YouTube series that starts off with a middle-aged Harry looking for work: Harry Potter and the Ten Years Later poopyheadthrowaway
Damn Kids.
Harry Potter and the kids that won't turn off the damn lights. PDRickelton
He can borrow Ron's deluminator for that. Eyelikeyourname
Harry Potter and the KIDS ON THE DAMN SHED. themagicchicken
Harry & The Fed.
Harry Potter and the Tax Audit, followed by Harry Potter and Federal Indictment. TheBlargshaggen
Harry's British. They don't have a federal government. They have a royal government, at least on the Muggle side. On the Wizard side, I think the best description of their form of government is incompetent. darthjoey91
Harry Sober.
Harry Potter and the deathly hangovers. Mandz27
I think Daniel Redcliffe would agree. He did have serious drinking problem when he was filming the last few HP movies. He would often show up, still drunk, during shooting. loveactually97
On the Bus.
Harry Potter and the Inconsiderate Bus Passenger. ViridianKumquat
Lol.... I'm sitting on a bus right now. The guy in the window seat asked me to move so he could go to the bathroom - literally 3 minutes after we left a rest stop. chchchips
Harry's Health.
GiphyHarry Potter and the prostate examination. lucasadtr
The plot should be Hermione put an expansion charm on Harry's butt to hide horcruxes during the war but then forgot about it. When attempting to examine his prostate his doctor falls in. Then the rest of the gang gets together for an adventure in Harry's colon. MidnightMath
It's often been said to write down your feelings and your thoughts. Putting pen to paper can free you of life's emotional strongholds. It's always surprising to discover the freedom one finds when telling their story in a form of third person. You can feel the pain but it can't hurt you. Every once and awhile a simple homework assignment can turn into the vigorous waving of a red flag. And once that flag is flown the teacher tends to become the therapist. Educators really should be getting dual checks.
Redditor u/MyNameAlexUgh wanted to know from English teachers about warning signs in the work of their students by asking.... English teachers of Reddit, what is the most disturbing story/assessment a student has ever submitted?
It's always a fun idea when we look at our favorite worlds of entertainment fantasy and wonder.... what if all of our favorite characters could somehow interact. How cool would that be? Or maybe at the very least the beloved scribes fashioning the stories could take a strike in a different make believe world. One writer I believe anyone would let run amok in any world, reality or fantasy would be literary Queen, Ms. J.K. Rowling. Can you imagine?
Redditor u/bogblocker wanted to discuss a possibility that many Potterheads would need Xanax to discuss by asking.... If Marvel's superheroes were made by J.K. Rowling, what unnecessary characteristic would she had given them?